Smoke (aka Black Smoke)
Smoke
Chocolate City/Universal (Japan), 1976. New Copy
A really great little funky record – even if it's a bit of a mystery in the record racks at times! This group were one of a number to use the name Smoke during the 70s – but at some point they were forced to change their name to Black Smoke, and you'll see the record listed both ways, ...
ABC/Universal (Japan), 1973. New Copy
One of the greatest blacksploitation soundtracks ever – a massively beautiful record that goes beyond any cliches of the genre, and serves up a fantastically unique batch of tracks! Chisoul arranger Johnny Pate did the music for the film – and (dare we say it?) it's even greater that ...
MCA/Universal (Japan), 1978. New Copy
Stunning work from Rufus & Chaka Khan – still very much at the height of their powers on this late 70s release – and still doing things at a level that nobody else can touch! The blend of jazz and soul is completely sublime – given a bit of extra help on arrangements by Clare ...
MCA/Universal (Japan), 1982. New Copy
A lesser-known album from One Way, but a great one – and in some ways, even fresher and more appealing than some of their more famous work from the time! The set's still got plenty of the great One Way bounce in the mix – but there's also a deeper, more sensitive soul sound going on ...
Magic Touch/Funky Delicacies, Late 60s/1970s. New Copy
A beautifully done look at the music of Harvey Scales – a damn funky cat from the Milwaukee scene, finally getting his due! The package is overflowing with groovers – hard funky 45 cuts that Scales recorded for the Magic Touch label – mostly in the late 60s and start of the 70s ...
Funky Delicacies, Early 70s. New Copy
Unreleased material by Ike & Tina Turner – hard, funky, and very fierce! The sound here is similar to some of the pair's more famous albums of the time – but it's also rawer and rootsier, as befits the demo status of these recordings. If you've ever gotten turned off by the ...
Soul Tay Shus/Tuff City, Late 60s. New Copy
Finally! Andre Williams has been getting loads of press over the past few years as the true "Funky Godfather" that he is – but up until now, nobody's ever done a good compilation of his work! This long-overdue set from Tuff City digs through the vaults of Avin, Sport, & ...
Tuff City/Funky Delicacies, Early 70s. New Copy
An essential bit of funkiness from this obscure New Orleans funk combo! The Gaturs' frontman was keyboardist Willie Tee – who went on to greater fame as a jazz and session player – but we like him best at this early point, when he was wailing away on organ in a tight choppy small group ...
Ri Fi/Futuribile (Italy), 1978. New Copy (reissue)
There's three Evas on the cover, three Evas in the name, and three Evas in the group – a trio of Italian singers whose voices work together in a playful blend of disco and pop! There's almost an Abba-like appeal to the music – really catchy tunes that are unabashedly poppy – ...
Uni/P-Vine (Japan), Early 70s. New Copy (reissue)
The only full length album ever cut by this amazing Chicago girl group! The Lovelites first broke onto the charts with their stunning track "How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad" – a sad slow tune about teen pregnancy, sung in a strange otherworldly style that's also quite soulful ...
Josie/Jackpot, 1970. New Copy (reissue)
Seminal work from The Meters – and an album that's essential for just about any collection of old school funk! The record's a blueprint for grooves that have been copied for generations to come – yet nobody does it better than these Crescent City kings – working here with a sound ...
Josie/Jackpot, Late 60s. New Copy (reissue)
One of the greatest albums ever in the history of funk – the first album by The Meters, and virtually the blueprint for countless funky records to come! The set marked a key moment when energy from the funky 45 underground of 7" singles was able to step forward into the space of a full ...
Mr Bongo (UK), 1970s. New Copy 2LP
The first ever career-spanning look at the music of legendary vocalist Asha Puthli – a singer who's maybe best known for her 70s club work on the European scene, but who also has a much wider range of expression – which you'll discover here! There's definitely some of the soul-based ...
CBS/Mr Bongo (UK), 1976. New Copy (reissue)
A masterpiece of spacey soul by the great Asha Puthli – a really unique 70s singer who has this incredible vocal range, and a great way of using it amidst slinkily soulful tracks – a bit like Minnie Riperton, or maybe like some of the Sylvia Striplin work with Roy Ayers! The sound here ...
Atco/Jackpot, 1968. New Copy (reissue)
The great Dr John at his freaky deaky best – working here in a mindblowing mix of New Orleans roots and late 60s psych – all served up in some heady studio space and instrumental touches! The sound's unlike anything that ever went before – and is way better here than on some of ...
Argo/Chess/Jackpot, 1960. New Copy (reissue)
An amazing step forward for the young Etta James – a singer who was delivering a raw, shouting form of R&B just a few years before – but who here ascends into soul music heaven with her famous work on the album! The title cut is the stuff of legend – played and played, again ...
DC International/Numero, 1974. New Copy (reissue)
Sublime harmony soul – and one of THE east coast classics of the early 70s! Skip and group were one of the best vocal groups working on their scene at the time – with a style that's incredibly well crafted, yet also fragile enough to really capture the emotions of the tunes. This ...
R&R/Real Gone, 1976. New Copy (reissue)
An obscure album of southern funky soul from Chuck Armstrong – an artist we know from his earlier funky 45 work in Chicago, but who sounds quite different on this set! The album was produced by George Kerr in New Jersey, but it's got a rolling, vamping approach on most cuts – a sound ...
Bang/Robinsongs (UK), Late 70s/Early 80s. New Copy 2CD
A trio of classic albums from The Muscle Shoals Horns – with bonus tracks too! First up is Born To Get Down, by a group who were definitely born to get down – as they'd proved before on countless funk and soul sessions in the south – and as they prove once again with this ...
P-Vine (Japan), 1978. New Copy
Rare funk from the same Minneapolis scene that gave the world Prince – a legendary indie set from the end of the 70s, put together by Lewis brothers Pierre and Andre! Despite their French names, the duo have a mighty American groove on the set – a wicked approach to funk that's very ...
P-Vine (Japan), Late 70s. New Copy
An obscure little set, but a great one too – a joint effort from Charles and Barbara Burton – served up with a really wonderful blend of upbeat club and modern soul modes! The album's got all the indie soul charm you'd expect from its title and cover – a simple, straightforward ...
Paula/P-Vine (Japan), 1972. New Copy
Harmony soul heaven – and the only full album from The Montclairs! The group were a sublime vocal group from the 70s – one with a sound to rival The Whatnauts or The Moments, but which also had a bit more of the super-dope touches you'd expect from their look on the cover of the record ...
Seventy Seven/Real Gone, Mid 70s. New Copy (reissue)
The rare first album by The Brief Encounter – a mid 70s funk group from North Carolina, but one who doesn't feel like a southern soul combo at all – as they work here with a sweet, strong, and jazzy flavor that makes them feel like the best of the California scene in the 70s! The group ...
Motown/Kent (UK), 1970. New Copy
A tremendous collection of early work by The Spinners – their sublime second album for Motown, plus 13 additional bonus tracks, most of which appear here for the first time ever! The core of the set is the 2nd Time Around album – pre-Philly magic from The Spinners – a wonderful ...
Motown/Kent (UK), Mid 60s. New Copy
Just when you think you know everything there is to know about Motown, here comes a set to open your ears and blow your mind all over again! The set unearths a huge amount of rare work by The Contours – the rollicking group who gave Motown a sweet album and handful of singles in the 60s, but ...
Maple/Real Gone, Mid 70s. New Copy (reissue)
A hell of a record from the obscure George Scott – a singer who never hit much fame after this, but who really knocks it out of the park with a righteous deep soul style! Backings are more stripped-down than you'd expect from the date – much more like some indie soul set from the late ...
Ace (UK), 1960s. New Copy
A great look at the huge influence on 60s soul from Burt Bacharach – a rich legacy that goes way beyond the big hits from Dionne Warwick, to include a wealth of work from artists you might not expect! Back in the early days, Burt was the tall white guy running around the Brill Building ...
Kent (UK), Late 60s. New Copy
The complete recordings of a great, overlooked lady of 60s LA soul – Jackie Day, who recorded a beautiful strong string of singles for Modern, Paula, Specialty and other labels – compiled here in this essential set from Kent UK! Jackie's voice is soaringly beautiful, and she's also the ...
BGP (UK), Late 60s/1970s/Early 80s. New Copy
A label-spanning look at the music of Terry Callier – one that starts with his folksy roots, runs through his sublime soul at Chess, and ends with some of his overlooked modern soul numbers from the early 80s! There's been a few other Callier collections on the market, but this one's got the ...
Baby Grand/Everland (Austria), 1978. New Copy
A sweet little record that's way better than you might ever guess from the title – almost more of a jazz funk effort overall, with excellent work on guitar, trumpet, saxes, and keyboards! There's vocals on the album, but maybe more in a backup sort of way – and although the cuts could ...