A stone classic from Jimmy Reed – and one of the first few albums on the Vee Jay label! The sound is spare, rootsy, and bluesy – the kind of tunes that made Jimmy an instant favorite, and which were a key force in the Chicago blues sound of the 50s. The set features material recorded ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
(1998 digipak pressing. Cover has light wear and a hype sticker on the front.)
An amazing moment for singer Dianne Reeves – the first in a long line of excellent records for the Blue Note label – and a wonderfully tight blend of jazz and soul, put together at a level that instantly pushed Reeves into the territory of previous giants like Phyllis Hyman and Marlena ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Sir Mack Rice —
Right Now ... CD Blue Suit, 1992. Used ...
$5.99
... CD
(Out of print, case has some water staining and a peeled spot on the back – priced accordingly.)
One of Lionel Richie's biggest records ever! Titles include "Can't Slow Down", "All Night Long", "Penny Lover", "The Only One", "Running With The Night", "Hello", "The Groove", "Love Will Find A Way" and "Stuck On ... read moreCD
One of Lionel Richie's biggest records ever! Titles include "Can't Slow Down", "All Night Long", "Penny Lover", "The Only One", "Running With The Night", "Hello", "The Groove", "Love Will Find A Way" and "Stuck On ... read moreCD
One of the strongest albums by Rockie Robbins – and they're all pretty darn great – thanks to some sweet production and arrangements from the team of Skip Scarborough and Jerry Peters! Skip and Jerry bring a nice sense of smoothness to Rockie's Chicago-forged sound – expanding ... read moreCD
A monster set of work by one of the greatest harmony groups ever! Smokey was one of the first singers to bring sweetness into soul – and his work with The Miracles for Motown is the stuff of legend. This 52-track, 2CD set brings together a huge amount of the group's best work – a ... read moreCD
Amazing sounds from the legendary Rodriguez – the brilliant 70s singer who had a groove that was equal parts soul, funk, rock, and folk – and an overall approach that was pretty darn unique! Most numbers here have some acoustic guitar over slightly funky rhythms – perfectly ... read moreCD
Diana Ross —
Diana ... CD Motown, 1980. Used ...
$8.99
A record so big they dropped the "Ross" from Diana's name – just to show how large the lady was living at the end of the 70s! The album was a key set in the solo years of Diana's career – a back to basics dancefloor effort done with impeccable production by Bernard Edwards ... read moreCD
A funky bit of blues from Otis Rush – the guitarist's debut album, and a surprisingly great batch of tracks recorded at Fame Studios! Production is by Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites, who are clearly going for more of a crossover sound than Rick Hall might have given the set – but ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
Great work from one of the tightest acts of 60s soul – the always-energetic Sam & Dave, working here with an excellent batch of tracks by Isaac Hayes & David Porter! Sam & Dave had made records before this period – but the cuts here are all from the years when they were ... read moreCD
Joe Sample on piano and synthesizer, Jay Anderson and Marcus Miller on bass, Lenny Castro and Steve Gadd on drums, and Dean Parks on guitar. (Jazz, Soul)CD
Patty Saturday —
Select Singles ... CD Swan/Roller Coaster, Late 1950s. Used ...
$4.99
Blue-eyed soul from Boz Scaggs, with a decidedly Philly influenced sound to the production, which we'd hazard a guess comes more from the Hall & Oates side of town than the Sigma Sound axis. Still, this is a solid album with the irresistible hit "Lowdown", still a favorite around ... read moreCD
Perhaps the rarest of all Jimmy Scott albums – and perhaps the best, too! Jimmy cut this one for Ray Charles' Tangerine label (it was the label's first) – a fact that's driven home on the front cover, where a lounging sexy couple is reclining in front of a fire with a bottle of wine ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
A nice best-of collection of Gil Scott Heron's work on Arista Records – issued in the 80s, with Gil looking a bit odd in a "Members Only" kind of way on the cover! Still, the music is great – and titles include th the extra new track "Re-Ron", an electro track about ... read moreCD
(Out of print.)
Shades Of Brown —
S.O.B. ... CD Cadet/Dusty Groove, 1970. Used ...
Just Sold Out!
Amazing soul from Chess Records – and an album that almost feels like some lost small-label soul set, or a batch of rare funky 45s! Shades Of Brown are an ultra-hip male group from Chicago – a quartet of singers with the range and depth of The Temptations or Dells at their best, ... read moreCD
One of the biggest breakout albums for Shakatak – an album that brought them strongly to US audiences with a sweet British blend of jazzy instrumentation and sultry soul! The album really holds up well over the years, and has a lot more legs than some of the other smooth fusion sets of the ... read moreCD
Nothing too manic here, as the grooves are all nicely laidback – in that sweetly smooth Shakatak style! The album's definitely a bit more contemporary-styled than some of the group's earlier ones – rhythms that are mostly programmed, and keyboards that have a later 80s sound – ... read moreCD
(2017 pressing with 4 bonus tracks!)
Shapeshifter Ensemble —
Mercy Suite ... CD Shapeshifter Ensemble, 2009. Used ...
$9.99
A classic! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Marlena Shaw – and it's a tremendous live set that really lives up to the righteous promise of her earlier work on Cadet Records! The album was cut with a small combo, and the overall feel is incredibly hip – a mixture of ... read moreCD
(Out of print 2012 Japanese pressing, includes obi.)
Rare work by The Showmen – a great harmony vocal group from the early 60s, and the first famous group to feature General Johnson – the unique singer who later went onto front Chairmen Of The Board! The tracks here have a rough doo-woppy quality – dripping with soul, and handled ... read moreCD
Righteous and soulful! The work that Nina Simone did at Philips is among some of her best work ever – and this set features 12 great cuts that aren't always that easy to find on wax. Includes the anthemic feminist classic "Four Women", the slightly-funky "Mississippi ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
A classic set of early jazz recordings by Nina Simone – one of her first albums ever, but already with an approach that's quite different from other singers of the time! Nina's singing a fair bit of standards here, but she brings a deeply personal approach to the material – inflecting ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
(Out of print early CD pressing with a crease through traycard artwork.)
A key early moment for Nina Simone – recorded live at Newport in 1960, at a time when the festival was one of the most important showcases for groundbreaking jazz – and a perfect setting for Nina to really let loose in that righteous style that would fuel her career during the 60s! ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
Nina sings Ellington – but as always, she makes whatever she sings all her own! The album's a bit straighter than later efforts – with large backings by Stu Phillips that also feature vocals by the Malcolm Dodds Singers – but Nina also conceived the whole thing herself, as an ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
5 classic albums from Nina Simone – packaged together in one sweet little set! First up is Nuff Said – a great little album from Nina – mostly recorded live at the Westbury Music Fair, with a hip mix of jazz, soul, and folk that's stretched out in a slightly informal setting that ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
Wonderful material from Nina Simone – working here still with one foot in the jazzier style of early days, but with haunting elements of the later progressive style to come! The "pastel" in the title shouldn't imply any sort of softness on Nina's part, because if anything, she's ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
A great later set from Nina Simone – quite sensitive at times, and with a different feel than some of her 70s work – but one that's still pure Simone all the way through! There's a return-to-classic feel going here – the sort of album that Jimmy Scott and others were making in ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
A vital box set of both classic and rare Nina Simone! This is much more than just another Nina Simone hits package – and instead, a massive collection of work – one that not only features 8 previously unissued tracks, but also a full bonus DVD, which contains a never-reissued ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
A landmark album from Nina Simone – a set that really pushes her far past just the standard realm of jazz vocals, and which also helped really establish her role as one of the most righteous singers of the 60s! The set's maybe extremely noteworthy for Nina's original tune "Four ... (Vocalists, Soul)read moreCD
Possibly the greatest moment ever from Sister Sledge – a set that has the Philly quartet teaming with the Chic team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards! Rodgers' guitar brings in a hell of a groove to the record – that choppy, skittish sound that made Chic such a favorite at the time ... read moreCD
(1997 Japanese pressing with 4 bonus tracks – includes obi!)
Sly & The Family Stone —
Anthology ... CD Epic, Late 60s/Early 70s. Used ...
$6.99
A double length collection of Sly's classic work for Epic – featuring the best of the old days, when he was really into a groove! 20 titles: "Dance To The Music", "Everyday People", "Sing A Simple Song", "Don't Call Me N!gger, Whitey", "Stand!" ... read moreCD
Classic funkiness from Sly & The Family Stone – an album that really pushed them to the top of their game, and exploded on the late 60s scene like a righteous funky bomb! The title cut's a mega-hit that you'll recognize right away – but the whole album's great, and is filled with ... read moreCD
Killer work from Sly & The Family Stone – hard-grooving, fast-funking, and really setting the scene for countless groups to come! The album's a messed-up funky party, with plenty of short little tracks that have a mix of funk, soul, and rock – perfect for the crossover crowd from ... read moreCD
A classic album of raw New Orleans soul from one of the all-time greats! Huey was a key figure who bridged the gap between the rolling sound of 50s Crescent City R&B, and later funky grooves from the 60s. This album's filled with 12 original tracks by Huey – recorded by Ace Records in ... read moreCD
Titles include "Genevieve", "Little Liza Jane", "Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu", "Just A Lonely Clown", "Free, Single And Disengaged", "For Cryin' Out Loud", and more – 24 tracks total. CD
Two beautiful albums by one of the greatest soul groups of all time! The Soul Children were a wonderful Memphis vocal group – with a two parts female/two parts male vocal style that just sounded incredible. All the members of the group were great singers, and the overall sound was a mixture ... read moreCD
Classic work by this great little group – a seminal force in the pre-disco club years, with a strident full-on sound that was in the same mode as other groups like BT Express or The Trammps. Includes their big tracks – like "We're On the Right Track", "Train Called ... read moreCD
30 cuts of the classic doo wop sides that the Spaniels cut for the Vee Jay label in Chicago, during the late 50's. In contrast to labelmates The El Dorados, The Spaniels were a bit smoother, and added more of a sweet harmony sound to their style – as you'll know from tracks like "Goodnit ... read moreCD
A landmark album from The Spinners – one that has the Detroit vocal group making a hip trip to the Philly scene – picking up a whole new sound and rich new energy in the process! A few years later, working in Philly studios would be common for many artists – but this self-titled ... read moreCD
Mavis Staples takes the stage at one of our favorite hometown haunts – performing live with small combo backing, in a sound that's even rootsier than some of her recent records! The setting is a great one for Mavis, and it's nicely free of some of the hoke that can sometimes creep in – ... read moreCD
(Still sealed, cutout hole through case and tray card.)
Excellent early work from Candi Staton – recorded for Rick Hall's famous Fame studios in Muscle Shoals! The tracks here are quite different than some of Candi's later, more famous work – very much in the best deep soul tradition of singers like Ann Sexton, Betty Harris, or Ann Peebles ... read moreCD
Few folks get a classic groove as right as T-Groove – and here, he's working with the George Kano Experience for an even more classic vibe – this wonderful blend of soul, jazz, funk, and boogie – all put together with the best sort of 80s groove production! The album's got a ... (Neo Soul, Soul)read moreCD
A killer collection of work from the great Howard Tate – a stunning soul singer who recorded mostly during an initial decade in the studio, then briefly returned to fame in the few short years before his death – always with a depth and vibrancy that set him apart right from the start! ... read moreCD
Probably THE album you truly need to own from Koko Taylor – and a completely great one, recorded way before she'd become a cliched fixture paying the bills on frat boy tourist blues scene! The tracks here were recorded over a few years in mid-to-late 60s Chicago – mostly with ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
(Punch through barcode, clear promotional sticker on case.)
An obscure one from Ted Taylor – a lot blusier than some of his earlier soul work from the 60s, but with some great funky touches that really make the record great! As with most of these Ronn/Jewel albums, there's no real credits, so we have trouble figuring out who helped Ted get his groove ... read moreCD
A great set of 50s recordings by gritty rhythm & blues singer Big Mama Thornton – whose most famous for grittier shouters – but there's some surprisingly easygoing numbers here, too! Her famous "Hound Dog" opens this set, and sets the pace strongly – for a batch of ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
A beautifully overstuffed collection of early work from New Orleans soul legend Allen Toussaint – a set that not only includes many of his key recordings from the scene in the 60s, but also some of his important productions for other artists too! The package begins with Toussaint in the lead ... read moreCD
A great overview of one of Motown's hippest soul groups! The Undisputed Truth were the brainchild of Norman Whitfield – and the group were the perfect platform for the "right on" soul that Whitfield was starting to craft in Detroit at the end of the 60s. Whitfield mixed the group's ... read moreCD
Luther Vandross at the top of his game – sitting right at the height of that crossover space in soul he virtually owned back in the mid 80s! The work here is certainly more commercial than Vandross albums of the past, but the soul is no less deep – thanks to Luther's amazing vocal ... read moreCD
A real breakout album for The Village People – thanks largely to the hit "YMCA", which had surprising play at the time – and has gone onto become one of those ballpark hits that everyone seems to sing completely un-self-consciously! The group are still working here in a New ... read moreCD
Later work from guitar genius T-Bone Walker, but still very much in the style of his best R&B work! The album features small group backings that do the best to bring out the jazzier side of T-Bone's style – one that was a direct influence on countless jazz funk guitarists in later years ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
Great work from the second chapter of Grover Washington's career – his post-Kudu run over at Elektra Records! The work here's a bit tighter than the Kudu sides, but still pretty great overall – thanks to that key Washington approach to a solo – a sense of space and soul that few ... (Jazz, Soul)read moreCD
Includes the songs "Take Five (Take Another Five)", "Sacred Kind Of Love", "Only For You (Siempre Para Ti Sere)", "Please Send Me Someone To Love", "Strawberry Moon", "Summer Nights", "Heat Index", "Near Exit", "Blu ... (Jazz, Soul)read moreCD
Bouncy soul from Grover Washington – a set that returns to his earlier roots in a space between soulful fusion and R&B! The slinky Washington soprano sax gets plenty of space in this set – blown with those seductive notes that always made Grover one of the most distinctive players ... (Jazz, Soul)read moreCD
2 Muddy Waters classics! On the first record, the Big Bill in the title is Big Bill Broonzy – a key influence on midcentury bluesmen all over the US, and paid tribute to nicely here by Muddy Waters! Given this tribute approach, the sound's a bit rootsier than some of Waters' other work for ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
Muddy kicks it live in the studio at Woodstock with a number of rock and/or blues luminaries in toe for this mid 70s gig – including the great Pinetop Perkins on piano, Paul Butterfield on harmonica, and Levon Helm on bass and drums! Interestingly, the set is much more of return to the ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
(Small nick in barcode.)
Muddy Waters —
Paris 1972 ... CD Pablo/Fantasy, 1972. Used ...
$7.99
Muddy Waters in Paris – quite far from the Windy City he called home for all of his key years, but still sounding great, in a very classic Chicago blues mode! The performance features some nice extended numbers that seem to go even farther than some of Waters' 60s live work (and definitely ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
(Barcode has a cutout hole, disc has a promo stamp.)
Muddy Waters —
Unk In Funk ... CD Chess/Get On Down, 1974. Used ...
$8.99
Muddy Waters definitely put the "unk" in funk – although back in his day, the word meant something different than in the 70s! This set features some great late Muddy for Chess – produced in conjunction with Ralph Bass, Muddy's longtime associate in the studio, and done with a ... (Blues, Soul)read moreCD
Johnny Guitar Watson —
Bow Wow ... CD Wilma, 1994. Used ...
$3.99
One of the last full recordings from Johnny Guitar Watson – and a surprisingly great little set that still stands strongly with some of his last funky records from the early 80s! The vibe is slightly contemporary – with some touches of 90s R&B in the production – but Watson's ... read moreCD
Some of the first truly sublime work from Johnny Guitar Watson – mid 50s R&B sides cut for the Modern label in LA, served up in a wonderful blend of blues roots, jazzy inflections, and that undeniable Johnny Guitar sense of power and personality! Even at this early age, Johnny had a ... read moreCD
(Booklet has a couple of age spots.)
Rick Webb —
Rick Webb ... CD Washington Hit Makers, 1991. Used ...
$18.99
Wendy and Lisa really break out of earlier modes here – and hit a style that showcases a more sensitive, singer-songwriter orientation that's a welcome change from some of their too funky modes! The groove here is a little hard to pin down exactly – but there's a great sense of ... read moreCD