Titles include "For The Last Time", "Let's Part As Friends", "I've Got A Problem", "Our First Blues Song", and "24 Hours A Day". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A later gem from Bobby Blue Bland – done in a smooth style that fits the later approach of the Malaco label, but with a vocal style that hasn't dimmed a bit over the years! Bobby's still got that incredible rasp in his voice – that approach that easily made him one of the most soulful bluesmen of his generation – with a sense of sophistication and understanding of the music that holds true throughout the entire record. The vibe's a bit like some of Bland's late work for ABC – and titles include "Members Only", "In The Ghetto", "Heart Open Again", "I Need Your Love So Bad", "Straight From The Shoulder", and "Sweet Woman's Love". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant later work by Bobby Blue Bland – done with backings that are much fuller than on his earlier albums – a mixture of strings and horns that really expand the sound! That doesn't keep things from being soulful, though – as Bobby's in incredible form vocally, really rising to the occasion of the session with some of his best vocal performances of the decade. Great throughout – and one of his few true classic sessions after the early Duke years. Titles include "Today I Started Loving You Again", "I Take It On Home", "I Hate You", "If Fingerprints Showed Up On Skin", and "Too Far Gone". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

More excellent early Bobby Blue Bland material, with stellar arrangements by Joe Scott that mix soul, blues, and a slight bit of jazz to create the unique style that made Bobby's work unlike that of anyone else. The LP includes such classics as "The Playgirl", "I Can't Stop", "Back In The Same Old Bag", and "Too Late For Tears" – but the whole thing's pretty darn great! (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible record from Bobby Blue Bland – and quite possibly the greatest one he ever made! The set's got an amazing something special that's unlike most other material of the time – a bit blues, but a lot of soul too – still with some echoes of R&B in the jazzier charts used for the backdrop, but presented with a rock-solid style that definitely points the way towards many sounds and styles to come in the 60s. And although Bland recorded many of these tracks as separate singles, there's a way they're put together here that makes the whole thing sound completely marvelous together – a really well-conceived track list that shows that Bobby's an even greater artist in the space of a full record. The arrangements are perfect, and Bobby's rough soulful voice is blended in this amazing way with killer horn arrangements that are far more sophisticated than most stuff that ever came after this, and which never get in the way, but only back up his deep emotion. The album's a motherlode of classics by the man, with gems that include "Two Steps From The Blues", "Cry Cry Cry", "I Don't Want No Woman", "I'm Not Ashamed", "Don't Cry No More", "Lead Me On", and "I Pity The Fool". And hell, even his version of "St James Infirmary" is pretty wonderful – something we never thought we'd say about that song. (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

(Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Cool LP that brings together Duke singles by Bobby Blue Bland and Junior Parker, in a "double feature" set that devotes a side apiece to material by each of them. The sound is hard bluesy soul, with tracks like "Next Time You See Me", "Wondering", "It's My Life, Baby", "I Smell Trouble", and "Farther Up The Road". (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from Joe Hinton – a labelmate to Bobby Blue Bland and Little Junior Parker on Duke Records, but an artist who was a bit more jazzy! The set includes his classic "Funny" – plus "If It Ain't One Thing", "Be Ever Wonderful", "The Whole Town's Talking", "Baby Please", "I'm Waiting", and "Tell Her The Truth". LP, Vinyl record album

Features early work by Howling Wolf, Joe Hill Lewis, Walter Horton, Bobby Bland, Willie Nix, and Junior Parker! (Blues, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by Bobby Bland, Johnny Ace, Junior Parker, John Roberts, Lamp Sisters, Ernie K Doe, Paulette Parker, Clarence Carter & Calvin Scott, OV Wright, Jeanette Williams, Roy Head, Willie Mae Thornton, and The Insights. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album of bluesy soul by Little Johnny Taylor – not to be confused with Johnnie Taylor, who later sang for Stax! This Johnny's got a style that's a bit bluesier, set up here in some nice larger arrangements that make the album feel like some of Bobby Blue Bland's best work for Duke back at the same time. Johnny's voice is incredible – much better than on his later records – and titles include "You're The One", "As Quick As I Can", "She Tried To Understand", "You Gotta Go On", "Part Time Love", and "Stay Sweet". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few full albums ever issued by McKinley Mitchell – a deep soul singer with an equal amount of blues in his approach – and this great raspy approach to a lyric that's somewhere in between ZZ Hill and Bobby Blue Bland! The date of the album is 1978, but the whole thing has a vibe that could be years earlier – a really classic southern soul approach, with backings by a sweet studio combo that's clearly getting some great directly from James Stroud, who also helped with production. Things are nicely laidback and under-polished – and Mitchell's wonderful voice really gets to shine on tracks that include "Open House At My House", "You're So Fine", "The Town I Live In", "You Know I've Tried", "Run To Love", "Dream Lover", "End Of The Rainbow", and "Follow The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

20 tracks over 2 records – Gene Vincent, Sam Cooke, Peggy Lee, Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, Johnny Otis, Cilla Black, Nelson Riddle, Beau Brummels, Gene Chandler, Billy Bland, Bobby Freeman, and more! (Rock, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent early work from Little Johnny Taylor – not to be confused with the bigger-name singer on Stax! The title's a bit of a misnomer, given that Little Johnny Taylor wasn't the biggest hitmaker of the 60s – but the album's a killer batch of his best work for the Galaxy label – work that's definitely the "soul full of blues" promised in the title! The style here's a bit like Bobby Blue Bland at his best – bluesy, but with a much more sophisticated feel overall, and certainly some jazz phrasing that comes in from time to time – all to push Johnny much more into the soul side of the spectrum for the 60s. There's almost an Otis Redding feel at times – and the backings by Ray Shanklin certainly show a Memphis influence. Titles include "Part Time Love", "Help Yourself", "If You Love Me Like You Say", "One More Chance", "I Smell Trouble", and "Somebody's Got To Pay". LP, Vinyl record album

A definite assortment of gems – pulled together here in an early collection from Ace/Kent records – well-selected material that includes "Call On Me" by Bobby Blue Bland, "Competition Ain't Nothin" by Carl Carlton, "Evil One" by The Sapphires, "It's A Crying Shame" by Len Barry, "Hey Girl Don't Bother Me" by The Tams, "Tell Her" by Dean Parrish, "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head, "Gonzo" by James Booker, "Hey There Lonely Girl" by Eddie Holman, "Mama Didn't Lie" by The Fascinations, "Homework" by Otis Rush, and "Boomerang" by Tom & Jerryo. LP, Vinyl record album

Second volume of nice, nice radio soul from the 60s put together by Bay Area radio station KSOL. As you'd imagine, there's some bigger hits, but there's some nice nuggets of almost forgotten R&B and soul too. 21 numbers in all, including "I Really Love You" by Dee Dee Sharp, "Baby Scratch My Back" by Slim Harpo, "She Blew A Good Thing" by The Poets, "Sad Girl" by Jay Wiggins, "Turn On The Love Light" by Bobby Bland, "Am I Grooving You" by Freddie Scott, "Why Do I Do These Foolish Things" by the Magicians, "Something I Want To Tell You" by Johnny & The Impressions, "The Richest Girl" by Little Helen, and "Send My Baby Back" by Freddie Hughes. LP, Vinyl record album