The other side of Jimmy Smith is a mellow side – as this album's nearly all ballads and standards, set to moody late night orchestrations by Johnny Pate. Jimmy's playing is very very nice – and in a relaxed introspective mode that he hadn't really been allowed since some of his Blue Note sessions. Pate's got more of rep for funk and soul, but he does a pretty nice job here – and Jerome Richardson plays some nice flute on many tracks. Titles include "My Romance", "Nobody Knows", "My Way", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?", and "Bewitched". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet, smooth, and soulful work from Peabo Bryson – a perfect little record that captures him at a point when he was definitely tightening up his act, but not falling into the soppier traps of later years! Production here is shared by Peabo with the great Johnny Pate – who seems to have a great ear for Bryson's maturing style – managing to couch the vocals in some of the more sophisticated modes formulated on the Chicago scene in previous years, but also with a bit of the west coast modern twist that Capitol was really bringing to the table in the soul business at the time! All tunes are originals by Peabo, and titles include "Crosswinds", "I'm So Into You", "Smile", "She's A Woman", "Love Is Watching You", and "Don't Touch Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest record ever from Peabo Bryson – a wonderfully smooth set that features help on production and arrangements from the great Johnny Pate! Pate brings a groove that's got all the warm, sophisticated touches he developed while working on the Chicago scene – a bit of a jazz undercurrent, which really hips things up a lot – and helps give an instrumental setting that's rich enough to match Peabo's really sublime vocals! The blend of everything here is perfect all the way through – at a level that has Bryson really hitting new heights, and steering clear of any later cliches as well. Titles include "Love Has No Shame", "I Love The Way You Love", "Paradise", "Love In Every Eason", "Life Is A Child", "When Will I Learn", and "I Believe In You". CD

Maybe the greatest record ever from Peabo Bryson – a wonderfully smooth set that features help on production and arrangements from the great Johnny Pate! Pate brings a groove that's got all the warm, sophisticated touches he developed while working on the Chicago scene – a bit of a jazz undercurrent, which really hips things up a lot – and helps give an instrumental setting that's rich enough to match Peabo's really sublime vocals! The blend of everything here is perfect all the way through – at a level that has Bryson really hitting new heights, and steering clear of any later cliches as well. Titles include "Love Has No Shame", "I Love The Way You Love", "Paradise", "Love In Every Eason", "Life Is A Child", "When Will I Learn", and "I Believe In You". LP, Vinyl record album

Peabo Bryson's early efforts for Capitol – Reaching For The Sky and Crosswinds in a 2CD set! Reaching For The Sky is a sublime blend of modern soul that's light years ahead of any of his later work. Part of the credit goes to Richard Evans – who's worked out these wonderfully smooth stepping arrangements that are a perfect accompaniment for Peabo's deep voice, but which also avoid any of the syrupy indulgence of later records. And sure, Peabo's still got that expressive tone – but he's keeping it mean and lean to let the music keep on going strongly. Titles include "Reaching For The Sky", "Hold On To The World", "Love From Your Heart", "Love Walked Out On Me", "You Haven't Learned About Love", and "Feel The Fire". Crosswinds is sweet, smooth, and soulful work from Peabo – a perfect little record that captures him at a point when he was definitely tightening up his act, but not falling into the soppier traps of later years! Production here is shared by Peabo with the great Johnny Pate – who seems to have a great ear for Bryson's maturing style – managing to couch the vocals in some of the more sophisticated modes formulated on the Chicago scene in previous years, but also with a bit of the west coast modern twist that Capitol was really bringing to the table in the soul business at the time! All tunes are originals by Peabo, and titles include "Crosswinds", "Smile", "She's A Woman", "Love Is Watching You", and "Don't Touch Me". The set includes 3 bonus tracks: "Reaching For The Sky (Edit)", "I'm So Into You" and "Crosswinds (Single Version)". CD

The complete Okeh label recordings of Billy Butler – Jerry Butler's lesser-known brother, but an even more grooving artist on the Chicago soul scene of the 60s! Billy's work at Okeh is easily some of the best of the all-great imprint – tracks that step, slide, and groove along in a flurry of tight-edged Chi-soul rhythms – nearly all of which are produced by the legendary Carl Davis, with arrangements from Johnny Pate and Riley Hampton! Billy's in the lead on vocals, but nearly all numbers have a strong harmony soul component too – support from The Four Enchanters or Chanters – in a mode that echoes The Impressions' style of the time somewhat, but which also carries more of the Butler-family emotive quality, thanks to the stronger lead. This is the first time all this material has ever been brought together so well – and the package features great notes and a number of previously unissued titles as well – including some rare versions and instrumentals that are sure to get some play from Northern Soul listeners. Titles include "Found True Love", "Lady Love", "Gotta Get Away", "Can't Live Without Her", "Right Track", "Boston Monkey", "Does It Matter", "Fighting A Losing Battle", "To Be Or Not To Be", "Singing The Blues", and "You're Gonna Be Sorry". CD

The last 2 albums that the Impressions ever cut for ABC during the 60s, both of them pretty darn nice! The Fabulous Impressions has a vibe that's way more than you'd expect from the group's supper club style on the cover – as the record features a great set of original Curtis Mayfield compositions, sung by the group in great form, with arrangements by the total genius Johnny Pate! The record is filled with haunting soul tracks like "Isle Of Sirens", "Aware Of Love", "It's All Over", "Love's A Comin", "You Ought To Be In Heaven", and "She Don't Love Me" – all written by Curtis, and all proof that he's always been one of the best soul songwriters! A nice little gem that often gets lost in the band's catalog – but one to seek out, even if you're a bit nervous about a record with "fabulous" in the title! We're A Winner is a whole new level of pride and power for The Impressions – as you might guess from the bold statement of the title track! It may seem hard to believe from the perspective of the 21st Century, but back in the mid 60s, a message like "We're A Winner" was quite a strong one – a new anthem of righteous identity that was one of the first truly political statements from a young Curtis Mayfield, and a great precursor of the genius to come in the 70s! But even at this early state, there's still plenty of genius going on – not just in Mayfield's sublime songwriting, but also in the harmonies of the group, and the beautiful treatment they get in the studio from arranger Johnny Pate. The album's one of their key classics from the ABC years – and titles include "We're A Winner", "Moonlight Shadows", "Nothing Can Stop Me", "I'm Gettin Ready", "Let Me Tell The World", and "Little Brown Boy". CD

A pair of 60s classics by the mighty Impressions – back to back on a single CD! On Keep On Pushing, there's no need for The Impressions to push from behind – because with a record like this, they're very firmly in the driver's seat! The album's a treasure through and through – one of the greatest documents of 60s soul from the Chicago scene – filled with sublime original compositions by a young Curtis Mayfield, set to great arrangements from the legendary Johnny Pate! The sound here is immaculate – a groove that's slightly stepping, gently lilting – just enough to get things moving, but with plenty of care not to smother the fragile harmonies of the group. And as on other of the best ABC albums by The Impressions, there's not a hint of filler here – just one great track after another, with titles that include "Amen", "I Made A Mistake", "Don't Let It Hide", "Keep On Pushing", "Somebody Help Me", "Long Long Winter", and "I've Been Trying". People Get Ready is one of the greatest albums ever from The Impressions – and a set that takes their work to a whole new level, by bringing in an even more righteous sound! The core elements of the group's 60s genius are all in place here – compositions from Curtis Mayfield, arrangements from Johnny Pate, and sublime harmonies from the group. But there's also something extra too – a new level of consciousness that's creeping into the music, hinting at the more righteous subject matter of later years – but with a much more subtle approach. All tracks are great – and titles include "See the Real Me", "Woman's Got Soul", "We're In Love", "Can't Work No Longer", and "Emotions". CD

2 classic albums from the ABC Records years of The Impressions – back to back on a single CD! One By One is classic 60s Impressions material, with the legendary lineup firmly in place, and the great Johnny Pate handling all arrangements – really giving them that sense of righteous power that pushed their music past a lot of the previous group soul sounds of the Chicago scene – with a sophistication in both the instrumentation and harmonies that's completely sublime! The album mixes Curtis Mayfield compositions – like "Lonely Man", "Just One Kiss From You", "Falling In Love With You" – with special Impressions' takes on tunes that include "My Prayer", "Without A Song", "Answer Me, My Love", "I Want To Be With You", and "Nature Boy", which the group does incredibly well. Proof that the Impressions could shine, whatever the setting! Riding High is a record in which the title and cover say it all – because The Impressions are at the top of their game – riding high on a tremendous wave of soul, and soaring forth with a sense of pride and power few other groups could match! Maestro Johnny Pate is on board to handle the arrangements and production – and he helps Curtis Mayfield and the group reach a sound that's sophisticated throughout, but still retains a deeply personal sensibility. The harmonies are tremendous – never too sweet or too smooth, and always with that slightly fragile quality that made The Impressions one of the most human soul groups of their era. Nearly all the tunes are originals from Curtis – and titles include "Riding High", "Too Slow", "Man's Temptation", "I'm A Telling You", and "I Need To Belong To Someone". CD

A wonderful album from Moody – one of his "comeback" albums for Chess/Argo, recorded after his release from the Overbrook institution, hence the title. By this point, Moody was writing and playing with much more of an edge than during his bebop days – and the record certainly shows that – not only on the title track "Last Train From Overbrook", a jumpy little number that became one of the big new tunes in Moody's book, but on the whole album, which features some well-conceived large charts written by Johnny Pate. Pate and Moody wrote the bulk of the songs, too – and titles include "Yvonne", "Brother Yusef", "The Moody One", "There She Goes", "Tico Tico", and "Why Don't You". The album also features a great double-exposed cover photo, and some of the most chilling liner notes you'll ever read about a jazzman's struggles with addiction. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer bit of crossover pop from the mid 60s – and the kind of groover that brought the Carolina beach sound to the top 40 charts! Includes the group's classic hit "Girl Watcher", a groover that we always enjoy hearing, plus other nice ones like "The Soul Clap", "Love Machine", and "Little Miss Flirt". Produced by Johnny Pate, too! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare gem from Jimmy – a great set of organ tracks backed by some solid soul arrangements by the great Johnny Pate! Jimmy's organ is right out front, and as with most of his Verve albums, he never misses a note. There's a nice long version of "Ode To Billy Joe" that, while lacking the funky break that graces other versions, has a nice bubbling groove and a stupendous solo from Jimmy. Other titles include "Groove Drops", "Sunny", and "Days Of Wine & Roses". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest sets ever in the Pulp Fusion series – an amazing collection of rare funky tracks that goes past the obvious 70s classics on other volumes! This double-length volume is the work of Monk-One – who's clearly willing to dig a bit deeper than most, and come up with fresh tunes that really re-ignite the series, and show us why it's been one of the most trusted funky collections around for years. There's loads of rare nuggets here – and cuts include "Shack Up" by Banbarra, "Keep On Dancing" by Alvin Cash, "Up Above The Rock" by Ray Bryant, "El Jardia" by Johnny Pate, "Hercules" by Aaron Neville, "Inner City Blues" by Sarah Vaughan, "Take Me With You" by Lyn Christopher, "Keep It Up" by Milton Wright, "Gengis" by Chico Hamilton, "Fried Chicken" by Rufus Thomas, "Submission" by Tyrone Washington, "Through It All There's You" by Robert Palmer, "Senga" by Manu Dibango, "Black Water Gold" by African Music Machine, "Reach Out" by Lee Moses, and "Happy Man" by Latin Blues Band. CD

A very unusual album from this vocalist – proof that Frank D'Rone was always more interesting than most of his contemporaries! The set features soulful backings from Richard Evans, arranged by Johnny Pate – who really gives things more of a groove than usual – on titles that include "Bluesette", "It's A Beautiful Evening", "Little People", "Think I Will", "Make Me Rainbows", and "Mandy Is Two". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great little concept rock album – presented almost as a play, with spoken bits between the songs, and an overall feel that's very much in the Hair vein! The core group are kind of a pop/psyche outfit, and sound great enough on their own – but the record also features some larger arrangements by Bert De Coteaux and Johnny Pate, which make some of the songs sound incredibly groovy – with a very nice sunshine-y feel! Titles include "At The Station", "Time Changes", "That's My Girl", "Wake Up In The Morning", "Back To Philadelphia", and "Clifford's Dilemma". LP, Vinyl record album

2 early gems from The Impressions – back to back on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Impressions – fantastic soul from the Chicago scene of the 60s – the legendary first ABC album by Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions! Although the group first broke big on Vee Jay Records, it was at ABC that their genius really took flight – tightening up the harmonies of the earlier singles, and hitting a mode that was a lot more soul than the doo wop of their roots! The sound here is a great bridge between the two eras of the group's career – and a number of the best tracks here are done in a mellow, gentle sort of way that relies heavily on the harmonies – crackling out with beautifully human sounds throughout. Nearly every tune is an original by Curtis Mayfield – and there's not a spot of filler on the album! Titles include "Minstrel & Queen", "Gypsy Woman", "Never Let Me Go", "Sad Sad Girl & Boy", "Little Young Lover", "Can't You See", and "I Need Your Love". Nice cover, too – with Curtis smiling the biggest ol' bucktoothed smile you'll ever see! Never-Ending Impressions is a major winner from The Impressions! Virtually all of their material for ABC was excellent – and this LP is no exception, as it's got loads of original Curtis Mayfield compositions, and plenty of great arrangements by Chicago soul legend Johnny Pate. The group is extremely soulful at this point – and they sound great on just about every cut. Titles include "Ten To One", "I'm So Proud", "Sister Love", "Little Boy Blue", "Girl You Don't Know Me", "I Gotta Keep Movin", and "A Woman Who Loves Me". CD

A 60s set from Memphis bluesman BB King – but one put together with a very distinct Chicago touch as well! The set's produced by Johnny Pate, and recorded live with a vibe that's similar to King's classic recording at The Regal – but it's almost got even more of a soulful punch, thanks to backing from a cool small combo that includes Bobby Forte on tenor, Kenneth Sands on trumpet, Duke Jethro on Hammond, and Louis Satterfield on bass! BB's vocals are great – in his best early form – and the tunes are bluesy, but also smoke with a nice degree of soul – and almost some jazzy touches at times from the tenor and organ. Titles include "Don't Answer The Door", "Blind Love", "Tired Of Your Jive", "Night Life", "Buzz Me", and "Waitin On You". CD

A fantastic funky soundtrack from Riz Ortolani – quite different than some of his bigger hits of the 60s, and full of heavy basslines and lots of great drums! The style here is in the best cop/crime mode of the time – but has even more blacksploitation grit at the bottom than the usual Italian work of the period – with a rawness that really rivals some of the best funky scores by Americans like Johnny Pate or Don Julian – although overall, there's maybe an even higher funk quotient to this record than some of their classics! Take it from us – we're not ones to casually use terms like this – and we really mean it when we say that this rare Italian gem from 1973 might well have you putting aside your copies of Shaft, Superfly, and Black Caesar! CD features the bonus track "Romance Anonimo" – plus 19 more tracks from the film. CD