Soul — In Stock — LPs

A near-perfect classic from the greatly under-appreciated Bobby Charles – a cat with who worked for Chess Records as far back as the 50s, but also managed to deliver this soul-drenched swamp rock gem in 1972! Bobby's got this great sense of delivery – a bit laidback and almost laconic, ... (Rock, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful chapter in the career of Ray Charles – and a key album in helping raise his respect level a notch or two in the early 60s! We might argue with the mathematics in the title – or at least joke that Ray was using equations as titles years before Anthony Braxton – but you ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Some of Ray's biggest tracks for Atlantic, including many remakes of standards like "Just For A Thrill", "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin", "Am I Blue", and "It Had To Be You". You've heard it all a million times, but it's still beautiful stuff – and ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

As Ray was making the switch to ABC for his vocal-oriented material, Atlantic managed to capture his jazz-oriented talents on a few great sessions like this one – which features Charles' piano in the foreground, set in a nice small group setting with other players from his band, like David ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

Features smoking work from David Newman on tenor and Hank Crawford on baritone – plus a bit of trumpet from Marcus Belgrave! Titles include "Frenesi", "Drown In My Own Tears", "Tell The Truth", "The Right Time", "What'd I Say", and "The ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

A classic! What seemed a silly idea at the time was true proof of Ray's genius, and the result was the most successful album of his career – and a bona-fide number one hit that rode the charts for years and years! Ray's voice works perfectly with the material, and thanks to soulful ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album for Ray – one that features the sweet electric piano jammer "What'd I Say" – offered up here in 2 parts, and a track that would become the prototype for so many funk songs in years to come! The Raelettes back Ray up on most tracks – and other tracks ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

Perhaps the most heavenly of all the Chi-Lites albums, with soaring harmonies leaping all over beautiful Chicago soul production, and loads of great heartbreaking stories unfolding as the whole thing spins away! A true masterpiece from the Chicago scene – and filled with loads of wonderful ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A massive set from the legendary Chic – and a set that has the dancefloor combo coming down perfectly throughout! Riffing Nile Rodgers guitars really make the tunes cook – as does the superb production – and although the record played plenty in discos and radios of the mainstream ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A lost groover on Salsoul, with 3 long cuts that all have a solid dancefloor sound! Tracks include the Latin-tinged "El Caravanero", which has a nice organ sound in it; "Orfeu Negro", a disco version of "Black Orpheus"; and the title cut, which runs for 15 minutes on ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

Dee Clark cracked the charts big with a few crossover hits – but he's an excellent soul singer with a raspy tone that almost set the stage for some of the deeper soul acts to come in the 60s! The style here is very much in the mode of some of Jackie Wilson's best for Brunswick from the early ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A wickedly funky album from Stanley Clarke – perhaps his most fully-formed album of the Columbia years, and a set that really brings together his jazz and soul styles! There's a definite R&B vibe going on, but it's also one that's still quite heavy on bass work from Stanley – a ... (Jazz, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

A second set from the Clarke Duke Project – and arguably even more soulful than the first! The tunes here are still rooted in jazz, but strongly move into crossover soul territory too – with vocals from both Stanley Clarke and George Duke – and grooves that really make the best ... (Jazz, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

A bit goofy, but a pretty compelling record issued on Motown's MoWest subsidiary. Tom Clay creates these groovy tracks that mix popular soul instrumentals (arranged by Gene Page and Artie Butler) with recitations that have a very righteous political feel. The single on the record, "What The ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

We kept hoping and hoping throughout the 80s that Clinton would get back into the funk of things, but it seems he never quite hit his stride, with the exception of the "Atomic Dog". And though we can't hold this up anywhere near his best work, it's a reasonably solid effort, given that ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

While little of Clinton's work under his own name in the 80s compares favorably with the best of the Parliament-Funkadelic years, it's still fairly solid compared to a lot of the other commercial R&B dreck that was being peddled at the time. With the sort of fat bass, loads of synthesized ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Great solo work from George Clinton – but a set that's still done in the best late 70s modes of Parliament and Funkadelic! Clinton's clearly more comfortable in the lead here – that new spotlight presence he adopted on the Computer Games album – but he also draws heavily on the ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

(Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Classic funky groovers from Dennis Coffey – with his hard guitar sound gettin' all fuzzy over some loud drums and funky Sussex production! This one's still very much on the "Scorpio" vibe, when the label was keeping things nice and hard – and before Dennis got a bit hooked ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by Cold Blood – a Bay Area collective of soul and rock players, with a sound that's a jamming tribute to the harder soul of the late 60s. Lydia Pense's the lead singer – with a style that's kind of a sweeter take on the Tina Turner sound – and the mixed band ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

The first full length from Cold Cut, with their big hits "people Hold On" and "Doctorin' The House", plus their other cut and paste and house and hip hop crossover numbers, like "Fat (Party & Bullsh*t)", "theme From 'Reportage'", "Stop This Crazy ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Arranged by Leroy Holmes and Arnold Goland – and titles include "Two Strangers In The City", "The Same Old You", "Strangers In The Night", "The More I See You", and "The Wishing Doll". (Vocalists, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A record that really has Natalie Cole finding her groove – not needing any help from her famous familial legacy, thank you – and instead stepping out with a tight, proud mode that really helped refine the sound of female soul in the 70s! The album's got plenty of influences from the ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Great earlier stuff from Natalie Cole – actually her third great album in a row – a tremendous early creative and commerical winning streak for Natalie! Thankful has her sweet, soulful voice out from of prodcution by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy of the Independents, and they give her ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal album for The Commodores – still very funky here, with a sound that stays true to their roots – yet also able to reach out into some of the mature mellow ballads that would make them a huge crossover act in years to come! James Carmichael arranges and produces here – ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Rootsy gospel from The Como Mamas – a tremendous trio of female singers, working here in an all-acapella mode that's completely sublime! The set's an offshoot of the Como Now project done by Daptone a few years ago, and has the same timeless feel – quite a difference from the heavy ... (Gospel, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

A warmly romantic journey from the stellar Norman Connors – but a set that's also got a fair bit of spiritual jazz undercurrents too! Norman's at that perfect Starship point in his career – giving equal space to the vocals and instrumental passages on the record – at a level that ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic – not just from Sam Cooke, but in the genre of "best of" records too! The set's overflowing with classic singles from the legendary soul singers – almost the perfect record to start with if you've ever wanted to sample Sam's genius – that amazing voice, ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

A 2LP set that brings together earlier Sam Cooke titles for RCA – some remastered and made into stereo titles, others just cleaned up a bit. There's a total of 20 tracks in all – with hits like "Twistin The Night Away", "You Send Me", "Chain Gang", "Ha ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from this enigmatic soul group! Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose were one of a handful of early 70s groups – like Chairmen Of The Board or 100 Proof Aged In Soul – who had a sound that was incredibly hard to peg. There were bits of southern rawness in the vocals, ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A great album of funky grooves put together by Bill Cosby, and featuring some of his funky friends from LA, like Stu Gardner, Gildo Mahones, Mel Brown, Willie Bobo, Monk Montgomery, and Paul Humphrey! The set's not to be confused with the similarly titled album on Uni – but is equally great ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A great relic – not only of the time, when drugs were exploding on the public consciousness, but also of Cosby's career – when he was making the shift from hip African-American comic into his 70s kid-centric mode! The set – as you'd guess from the title – has Bill talking ... (Comedy/Spoken, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Produced and arranged by Todd Rundgren and Mark Moogy Klingman – with appearances by both! Titles include "Can't Live Without Love", "She Moves Me", "Goodbye My Lady", "Georgia Swing", "Nose Open", and "Kiddy Boy". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Spaced out, synth heavy disco and new wave from the producer behind many of Sylvester's most popular tracks. As you might guess from the title, this is an early 80s electro future disco affair, with pulsating grooves, broad washes of synths and percolating rhythm tracks: "Tech-No-Logical ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A great crossover moment for Randy Crawford – a set that's filled with catchy little numbers that really helped to break her big to a larger audience, yet still with all the jazzy class of her earlier records too! Linda and Cecil Womack contributed a number of excellent songs to the set, and ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album cut by Randy during the height of her career! She'd just broken big with her vocals on "Street Life" by the Crusaders – and although that track's not on here, the Crusaders team of Wilton Felder, Stix Hooper, and Joe Sample produced the album, and have given it ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A great follow-up to the group's first hit LP on Sussex – not nearly as successful chart-wise, but a great display of their unique approach to group soul. The band's a quintet at this point, and their vocals are arranged by Skip Scarborough with that sweet compressed style that he was ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure bit of late 60s Stax! Steve Cropper's working away from the MG's here, in a mode that's slightly similar, but which has his guitar upfront in the mix on a batch of Memphis-style instrumentals – kind of his own take on the groove he was laying down with Booker T, but with a lot ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal 70s work from Crown Heights Affair – recorded when the group still had a lot of fire, and were working in that key transitional sound from soul to disco! The album's got a really full and grooving feel – and includes both disco and vocal versions of their hit "Dreaming A ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic funky jazz from the Crusaders! The set includes some of their best cuts from their years at Blue Thumb – when they were slicking things up a bit, but still staying pretty true to their soul jazz roots. There's a lot of nice electric funky numbers, and more than a few hip hop ... (Jazz, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

Betty Davis was one of the nastiest ladies in 70s soul – and this is one of her greatest albums – a killer batch of funky tracks all the way through! Betty has a sound like nobody else – and she takes heavy drums, throbbing bass, and ripping guitars – all as a hard and ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work from Betty Davis – one of the most impressive female funk talents ever! If you ever needed a definition of funk, this record may well be it – snapping drums, sharp-edged guitars, and sex-filled basslines that slink and slide all over the bottom of the grooves – a ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Another stone winner from Tyrone Davis – cut during his classic stretch on the Dakar label! During the Dakar years, Tyrone just kept turning out great little soul songs – filled with that raspy emotion that was his unique vocal trademark, and touched with a bit of the blues from his ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Should be a throwaway album on AVI, but the album's actually a pretty great batch of funky disco tunes – with more of a focus on tight instrumentation than you might expect! The set kicks off with the ridiculously titled "DJ Devilish" – and that number's actually got a pretty ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

Tasty set that includes many of the Delfonics' best moments from their classic Philly Groove years! This is the kind of heavenly east Coast group soul that never gets old – and it's no wonder this stuff keeps cropping up in movies and samples over the years. Titles include "Tell Me ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Classic East Coast harmony soul! This is one of the best-ever albums of the genre, and it's a massive collection of the Delfonics mighty singles from the early 70s. Thom Bell did all the arrangements and wrote nearly all the songs – 11 tracks in all: "La La Means I Love You", ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

One of their best from this period, and a stunning mix of soulful harmonies with smooth Chicago production by Charles Stepney. Lots of nice heart-rending tracks, including "Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation", "Stand Up And Show The World", "Soul Strollin", "Glory ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A Charly compilation that focuses on their doo-wop years from 1955 to 1961. Tracks include "Jo-Jo", "Zing, Zing, Zing", "I Can't Help Myself", "Time Makes You Change", "Wedding Day", "Come On Baby", "Cherry Bee", "Baby Open ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant 70s work by The Dells – and an album that has the group reinventing themselves wonderfully, by moving over to Philly and recording with Norman Harris! As he did with so many other artists at the time, Harris took the group firmly into the clubs with a soaring Sigma sort of groove ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous moment for trombonist Raul De Souza – working here in a style that's light years past his roots in bossa nova! The set's got a heavy California vibe – a late 70s blend of jazz and soul handled by producer George Duke, who also arranges many tracks on the record – but ... (Jazz, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

Full on orchestral disco from Destination – a group who only cut this one LP, but who work with a sound that's totally solid instrumentally! The tracks mix some fast-riffing percussion with fuller orchestrations – creating at two-tiered groove that's a lot more compelling than you ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

One of the weirdest, coolest Latin Soul albums we've ever heard – the only offering ever from the duo of Dianne & Carole – two female singers who come off with a great deal of enthusiasm on the set! That's our way of saying that the ladies are a bit rough on the vocals – but ... (Latin, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

Very nice album of modern soul tracks, written, produced, and performed by Jesse Boyce and Moses Dillard (who also did some nice early singles for Curtom!) Jesse Boyce sings all lead vocals, and the production is nice and smooth, with a bit of a jazzy tinge. Tracks include "Love Is the ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album

(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked early 80s gem from Thomas Dolby – a beautifully mellow album that comes across with less of the quirky pop touches of his earlier work! The Dolby heard here is almost in an Eno/Green World mode – mixing electronics with evocative lyrics – at a level that's a few ... (Rock, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "The Fat Man's Hop", "Honey Chile", "Blue Monday", "La La", "So Long", and "Troubles Of My Own". LP, Vinyl record album

If this is the New Lee Dorsey – we forgot all about the old one! The album's one of Lee's best early records – a killer batch of soul tracks that struts out of the New Orleans scene with some amazingly jagged production from Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn, very much in the best ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Carol's at the top of her game in this set of full-sounding disco numbers arranged and conducted by John Davis – singing with that heartfelt tone that still has plenty of great traces of AM radio soul, but which also slides nicely into the smoother, sophisti-club arrangements of the set. ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A killer from one of the most grooving acts on the Cameo/Parkway label! There's really something special to The Dovells at this point in their career – and a record like this shows why the group were crucial to the development of upbeat soul in the 60s – even though they might ... (Rock, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

Will Downing sounds wonderful here on this late 80s set – standing out instantly from most of his contemporaries, with a deep-toned, classic vocal approach that's simply tremendous! Even though some of the backings smack of 80s mainstream production, there's a depth here that goes beyond ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

The debut of greatness from Will Downing – an album that really sparkled in the late 80s musical galaxy, and which strongly updated an older style of richer soul from the 70s! Will's working here with equal parts influence from jazz and soul – inflected by work from talents that ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic soul from Lamont Dozier – his first LP as a solo artist, and one of the best debuts of the 70s! The record has a quality that's impossible to describe accurately – but it's kind of a post-Motown full-on approach to soul that mixes strings, piano, and that wall of sound groove ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Issued in the mid 70s – but most likely a set of tracks recorded in earlier years, with a sound that's a bit more straight New Orleans soul than some of Dr John's more messed-up work for Atlantic. The album features originals like "Shoo Ra", "Woman Is The Root Of All Evil" ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

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 ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Gonzo grooves from cosmic physician Dr. John! This is one of the trippiest of Dr. John's early albums, and a really messed-up mix of New Orleans R&B, 60s funk, and psychedelic influences. Side one of the LP features a number of shorter funky cuts – like "Loop Garoo" and "C ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Sweetly smooth grooving from The Dramatics – tighter than their years at Stax, but still tremendous stuff vocally – with a sound that mixes the rough and the sweet like nobody else! The album features works by a number of different producers – including group members Ron Banks ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album by The Dramatics – with a harder funkier sound than you'll find on most of their other records of the time – a gritty gem from the group's early years, and a record that really deserves its placement on the Stax label! The record has the group moving into a post-Tempta ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of an underground sleeper here in Chicago, mostly for the jazzy steppers sound of the best tracks on the record. The band's a jazz orchestra fronted by Leslie Drayton, but the real charm of the record is the vocals by Barbara Morrison. She sings nicely and jazzily on the band's stepping ... (Jazz, Soul) read more LP, Vinyl record album

Latin Hustle king Eddie Drennon move much more solidly into disco with this LP – especially on the title track, an up-tempo club remake of the Ellington classic "It Don't Mean A Thing". Still, the album's got some nice funky tracks that are pretty nice – like "Disco ... read more LP, Vinyl record album

LP, Vinyl record album