... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

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". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the cuts that veered a bit more towards the mainstream than some of the earliest work by the Heavies, off their breakthrough Shelter album, with a post P-Funk/80s groove hook, that gets a tougher remix courtesy Ski, the man behind many of Jay Z's big hits. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Composed and directed by Anthony Branker, Walter Smith III on tenor saxophone, Remy Le Boeuf on alto and soprano saxophones, Philip Dizack on trumpet, Pete McCann on guitar, Fabian Almazan on piano, Linda May Han Oh on double and electric bass, Donald Edwards on drums, and Alison Crockett on vocals and spoken word. CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

One of James Brown's undisputed classics! "I Got You" begins with a very famous scream and an oof – and then rolls into a great little groove that's been used a gazillion times in ads, but which still sounds pretty darn great. The flip's a nice one too – a bit mellower, but still deeply soulful! 7-inch, Vinyl record

This is the kind of killer hard soul material that made James' late 60s years so incredible! "There Was a Time" is one of our favorite-ever tracks by him, and it's got a massive kind of soulful energy that's sometimes missing from other tracks at the time. "I Can't Stand Myself" is a winner, too, and features James wailing hard in a pure unbridled soulful moment! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A nice little single – despite the name! The a-side is a sleepy blues number, but the flip – "Disco Blues" – is a great groover. The cut begins with a bouncy bass and choppy guitar, all rolling together in a nice funky way while Willie sings and plays harmonica in a bluesy style. The gimmick shouldn't work, but the cut's pretty compelling overall – and that bass is monster dirty! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Some of Bobby Byrd's best work ever! "If You Don't Work" is a hard funky killer – done in a tight James Brown way, with lots of choppy guitar, and Bobby's vocals coming off at breakneck speed, just to keep up with the band. Nice simple message, too! "You've Got To Change Your Mind" is a great duet between Bobby and James. It's got a totally catchy hook, and a nice rolling groove that's extremely satisfying. James beats Bobby in the vocal department, but Bobby adds a nice bit of soul in the mix. 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A mindblowing classic from Can – a set that has the group just getting better with each new record – to a point where it's the early 70s, and they're already in territory that's completely their own! The set features long tracks that spin out beautifully – driven that that rhythmic drive that the group always had at their best – so different than some of their contemporaries who might have gotten stuck in a sonic corner and never found their way out – while Can was bursting forth with energy and imagination that has kept them still sounding amazing as the decades move on! The set's the last one with the mighty Damo Suzuki, but fortunately not the last with the incredible drums of Jaki Leibezeit – and titles include the 19 minute jam of "Bel Air" – plus "Future Days", "Spray", and "Moonshake". LP, Vinyl record album

Smoking live work from Can – a set that's very different than their studio work of the time, and which maybe gives an idea of how they came up with all the fantastic sounds on their famous albums! The set's really just one long freewheeling performance – driven by stunning instrumentation from Irmin Schmidt on keyboards, Holger Czukay on bass, Michael Karoli on guitar, and Jaki Liebezeit on his fantastic funky drums – all topped by lyrics from Damo Suzuki that really send the whole thing over the top – and maybe give structure to the jam at the core of the set. The double length package features five passages of music – all hard-driving genius! CD

Smoking live work from Can – a set that's very different than their studio work of the time, and which maybe gives an idea of how they came up with all the fantastic sounds on their famous albums! The set's really just one long freewheeling performance – driven by stunning instrumentation from Irmin Schmidt on keyboards, Holger Czukay on bass, Michael Karoli on guitar, and Jaki Liebezeit on his fantastic funky drums – all topped by lyrics from Damo Suzuki that really send the whole thing over the top – and maybe give structure to the jam at the core of the set. The double length package features five passages of music – all hard-driving genius! LP, Vinyl record album

A great addition to the 70s catalog of the legendary Can – a set of live recordings made in Stuttgart in 1975, all of which have the group working in this wonderfully long-jamming style! Tracks are long, and maybe even more proggy than the group's studio work of the time – an all-instrumental onslaught driven by the incredible drums of Jaki Leibezeit, with guitars from Michael Karoli, bass from Holger Czukay, and keyboards and electronics from Irmin Schmidt! Schmidt himself oversaw the entire release – and the way the tracks are put together is revelatory – a long-overdue look at the power the group had to offer in a concert setting – every bit as wonderful as their classic albums, but in a completely different way. LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty impressive box set of previously unreleased Can – incredible stuff captured throughout their groundbreaking run from the late 60s to mid 70s – culled from hours and hours of tapes of the sessions that could have just as easily wound up on any of their classic records of the period! We figured that this would almost certainly be a solid companion piece to their initial run of classic albums – but the best thing about it is that out stands up really well on its own. Can pretty famously let the tapes run while they worked things out and let the magic happen spontaneously, so it stands to reason a lot of brilliant stuff was left on those tapes! We're surprised it took so long to pour through it and assemble some of the best of the "lost" material, but better late than never! Since it covers the full late 60s & early 70s periods, it's got bits with Mooney and Suzuki, hypnotic live takes, slow-building tension, moody lulls and violent bursts of sound – it's Can, alright! 30 tracks sequenced brilliantly over 3CDs – and it comes a reel-to-reel style box with a 10-inch booklet. Titles include "Millionenspiel", "Waiting For The Street Car", "Evening All Day", "Deadly Doris", "Bubble Rap", "Your Friendly Neighborhood Whore", "Bilnd Mirror Sur", "Bubble Rap", "Godzilla Fragment", "Barnacles", "The Agreement", "The Loop", "A Swan Is Born" and more. CD

A mid 70s set from Can that's still very much in the best spirit of their earliest work – mostly longish tracks and all quite hypnotic – wonderful stuff from the team of Irmin Schmidt, Jacki Liebezeit, Holger Czukay, and Michael Karoli. Sure, Damo's not on vocals any more, but the instrumentation's still pretty darn great – and Can is also working more explicitly established global genre elements, but still really sounds like no one other than Can. Traces of reggae mix alongside many other rhythmic elements, jagged experimentalist touches, 70s ambient energy, and imaginative jams galore from one of the most creative combos of its time! Titles include "Chain Reaction", "Quantum Physics", "Dizzy Dizzy", and "Splash". LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 70s set from Can that's still very much in the best spirit of their earliest work – mostly longish tracks and all quite hypnotic – wonderful stuff from the team of Irmin Schmidt, Jacki Liebezeit, Holger Czukay, and Michael Karoli. Sure, Damo's not on vocals any more, but the instrumentation's still pretty darn great – and Can is also working more explicitly established global genre elements, but still really sounds like no one other than Can. Traces of reggae mix alongside many other rhythmic elements, jagged experimentalist touches, 70s ambient energy, and imaginative jams galore from one of the most creative combos of its time! Titles include "Chain Reaction", "Quantum Physics", "Dizzy Dizzy", and "Splash". CD

The second album from Can – and one that the group maybe likes to think of as more of a bridge between Monster Movie and Tago Mago – tracks done for a variety of film projects, but which also still really show the quick evolution of the group at the time! Some of the work still features original singer Malcolm Mooney, and others feature the new rising star of Damo Suzuki – but what might be most striking here is the drum work of Jaki Liebezeit, who already seems to be pushing forward with that rhythmic pulse that would soon make the early 70s Can so amazing – recorded with stark brilliance and blended with edgey percussion, at a level that makes most of the tracks unlike anything else the world had ever heard before! Of course, there's still plenty of tremendous bass from Holger Czukay, guitar from Michael Karoli, and keyboards from Irmin Schmidt – all of whom sound amazing here – on titles that include "Mother Sky", "Deadlock", "Tango Whiskeyman", "Don't Turn The Lights On Leave Me Alone", "Soul Desert", and "She Brings The Rain". CD

The second album from Can – and one that the group maybe likes to think of as more of a bridge between Monster Movie and Tago Mago – tracks done for a variety of film projects, but which also still really show the quick evolution of the group at the time! Some of the work still features original singer Malcolm Mooney, and others feature the new rising star of Damo Suzuki – but what might be most striking here is the drum work of Jaki Liebezeit, who already seems to be pushing forward with that rhythmic pulse that would soon make the early 70s Can so amazing – recorded with stark brilliance and blended with edgey percussion, at a level that makes most of the tracks unlike anything else the world had ever heard before! Of course, there's still plenty of tremendous bass from Holger Czukay, guitar from Michael Karoli, and keyboards from Irmin Schmidt – all of whom sound amazing here – on titles that include "Mother Sky", "Deadlock", "Tango Whiskeyman", "Don't Turn The Lights On Leave Me Alone", "Soul Desert", and "She Brings The Rain". CD

... CD

Featuring Snoop Dogg! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A great set of rare early material by Betty Carter – featuring 24 tracks from the early days of her career! The set features one album Betty Recorded for the Peacock label, with hip arrangements by Gigi Gryce and Melba Liston, and one that she recorded for ABC, with more mainstream arrangements by Richard Wess. And although both albums don't have Betty singing in the strident style she adopted in later years, they're still pretty darn great, and are filled with a lot of rich emotion and strong jazz vocalizing. Titles include "Jazz Ain't Nothin But Soul", "I Can't Help It", "By The Bend In The River", "Foul Play", "Babe's Blues", "Mean To Me", "Something Wonderful", and "Make It Last". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Includes "Duke of Earl", "Nite Owl", "Tear for Tear", "You Threw a Lucky Punch", "Rainbow", "Man's Temptation", "Think Nothing About It", "Just Be True", "Bless Our Love", "What Now?", "You Can't Hurt Me No More", "Nothing Can Stop Me", "(Gonna Be) Good Times", "I Fooled You This Time", "Girl Don't Care", "To Be a Lover", "There Goes the Lover", "Groovy Situation", "Get Down", and "Does She Have a Friend for Me". CD

A really obscure soul trio from the New Jersey scene of the 70s – and one who've got a nicely rough-edged approach to their harmonies! The record's definitely in the grittier side of the scene – more funky 45 production overall, and a nice current of funk on the record at times too – mixed with some of the mellower sweet soul styles that Jersey groups were delivering at the time! The approach is a bit like a more streamlined approach to territory that Soul Generation were hitting at the time – and titles include "Trespassin", "I Can't Take No Chances", "Crying Shame", "Love For My Girl", "Taking All The Love I Can", "I Caught You Cheating", and "Birth Of A Playboy". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

The return of CL Smooth – and a nice surprise! We don't know why we should be surprised by CL's still sharp skills circa '05, given the pedigree. That's our problem – but these 2 tracks are problem free, contempory work from a true mic master! "Warm Outside" produced by Heatmakerz. "I Can't Help It" produced by Mike Lowe. 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Damn great work from Albert Collins – one of those hard-edged gems from the early days that's a lot more funk than his later blues! Sure, there's still plenty of blues here – but the rhythms are pretty funky too, and the album's got some great raw production from Bill Hall – free from any of the blues cliches that were creeping into other artists work from mainstream attention – and still cooked up with a really gritty edge overall! Titles include the funky monsters "Doin My Thing" and "Do The Sissy" – plus "Collins Mix", "Trunin On", "Stump Poker", "Let's Get It Together Again", and "Left Overs". LP, Vinyl record album

Produced by Andre Williams! 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

The debut album from Tyrone Davis – a supreme achievement for the Chicago soul scene of the late 60s, and a record with a sound that would set the standard for years to come! Tyrone had been bumping around as a blusier singer before this set – but here, working with arrangements by Don Myrick and Willie Henderson, he gets a sound that's sweet and soaring – taking a rough-spirited soul, and recasting it in a sweeter sound for the 70s. Tyrone's not lapsing into bluesy cliches here, and instead keeps things wonderfully soulful by hitting a loping groove that picks up his beat and gives the songs a nice lilt. You can hear this to best effect on the title track "Can I Change My Mind", but all tracks are great – including "She's Looking Good", "Call On Me", "Open The Door To Your Heart", and "Have You Ever Wondered Why?". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic mellow soul from Tyrone Davis – a great reminder that his vocals were still some of the burningest in 70s soul – sounding especially great in a record like this! Side one of the album's especially great – an all-mellow side that almost acts like some mini-suite of love songs, with a slinky, sexy, late nite sound! Side two picks up the groove a bit, but never too much – and Davis' warmly crackling vocals come through with a tremendous amount of feeling, even amidst clubby rhythms. Leo Graham produced, and arrangements are by Tom Tom, Gil Askey, and James Mack – on tracks that include "Can't You Tell It's Me", "Be With Me", "Heart Failure", "Burnin Up", "Love You Forever", and "Really Gonna Miss You". LP, Vinyl record album

A late 70s gem from Tyrone's years on Columbia Records – one that shows both sides of his talents for the label! The set starts out with an extended clubby groover called "Get On Up (Disco)" – a bumping sort of number that's clearly trying to push him into Johnnie Taylor territory, and which comes off surprisingly well. But even better are the rest of the tracks on the set – which update Tyrone's older Brunswick sound with a smoother, more sophisticated sort of style – still recorded in Chicago, and with some southern soul traces – but usually done in a warmer midtempo groove, with excellent lead vocals and great backing from The Haywood Sisters. Titles include "It's You It's You", "Bunky", "All I Ever Need", "I Can't Go On This Way", and "Can't Help But Say". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that seems to take Dead Can Dance even farther back into the past than ever before – not to the sound of their earliest years, but to a world of ancient musical elements that come together beautifully in their hands! The set is probably the most carefully-recorded the group ever gave us – and one of the most sensitive too – with spacious qualities that can let individual vocal or instrumental passages really resonate, while wider washes of sound come in to tie the whole thing together, but in a way that's greatly matured since the earlier years of 4AD. Lisa Gerrard's vocals are amazing – and titles include "The Carnival Is Over", "Ariadne", "Towards The Within", "Spirit", "Bird", and "How Fortunate The Man With None". CD

... CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Charles Stepney arranged, and Bobby Miller arranged and produced, with the great psychedelic soul sound that the Dells were using at the time. 2 tracks from the Always Together LP, here on an original 45! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Mighty nice material from the earliest years of Jackie DeShannon – a full unreleased album for Liberty, plus a bunch of other rare tracks too! The album is fascinating – as it's a tribute to Ray Charles, and has Jackie not singing her own songs, as she would do famously later – but instead taking on tunes from the Ray Charles songbook, especially heavy on the Atlantic years – which come across with this soulful style that's really a change for Jackie! And sure, she's always had a current of soul in her music – but here, she has raspy vocals on a number of cuts, almost echoing Etta James – and great arrangements that really fit the vibe. Ray Charles titles include "Night Time Is The Right Time", "Georgia On My Mind", "I'll Drown In My Own Tears", "Ain't That Love", "Hallelujah I Love Him So", and "What'd I Say". The bonus material is also heavy on soulful styles too – in part because a number of them were recorded with great R&B producer Clyde Otis – and the set features a total of 24 tracks, with other titles that include "Wishin Won't Get It", "I Must Be Dreaming", "Shed A Tear", "Don't You Feel Sorry For Me", "Gonna Search", and "Nothing Can Stop Me". CD

Featuring Mr. Lee. 12-inch, Vinyl record

Shadow finally returns to release a record under his own name, and believe it or not, it's as much of a pop/rock record as the UNKLE LP was! We're not complaining though, because this one's got a great new wave twist to it, and on the third track of this single, Shadow's back in battle mode, with vocal cut-ups over a slower beat. CD

The classic debut album by the DOC, from the glory days of Ruthless Records – one of the few records on the label to live up to the brilliance of NWA at their height! Dr Dre handles the production here – and there's a razor-sharp edge that really matches DOC's wordcraft – as powerful as the rest of the Ruthless crew, but in a different way too – almost more sophisticated, with the messaged buried a bit more in the lyrics. Titles include "The Formula", "It's Funky Enough", "Mind Blowin", "Lend Me An Ear", "Portrait Of A Master Piece", "Whirlwind Pyramid", "No One Can Do It Better", and "The DOC & The Doctor" – plus "The Grand Finale", which features guest work from Ren and Ice Cube. LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Features Marty Ehrlich on reeds, Stan Strickland on flute and tenor sax, Michael Formanek on bass, and Bobby Previte on drums. CD

A nicely complicated little record – and one of the funkiest albums on the legendary Invictus label! The 8th Day group was a loosely-conceived batch of Detroit soul talents designed to cash in on a concept of the Holland-Dozier-Holland team – and they weren't just a studio project, as they included some wonderful talents that could make some great music when they wanted to! One of these was the amazing Detroit organist Lyman Woodard – who contributed the fantastic track "Cheba" to the album, an incredible organ groover that's unlike anything you've ever heard, rolling on with this pinched Hammond sound over congas, all-instrumental, and completely seductive! Another was Melvin Davis, who had recorded the song "Good Book" as a solo artist – but which was released here as if it was by the group. There's also a great guitarist in the group – unnamed due to the lack of liner notes – but who really shines on the funky tracks "Anythang", "Rocks In My Head", and "Heaven Is There To Guide Us", all with a fuzzed-out Detroit 70s groove! CD features the bonus tracks "Just As Long (single)", "I'm Worried (single)", "It's Instrumental To Be Free", and "You Made Me Over". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Two tracks from the sweet voiced Donnie. "Sweet Baby" has a rolling midtempo groove, and a much better hook. 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing document of one of the grooviest groups to emerge from the UK at the start of the 80s – not just their three full albums, but almost as much rare bonus material as well! The English Beat came a bit later than the initial wave of Two Tone ska revival groups – and they came with a difference, too – a bit more soul, and a slightly more contemporary approach to their music – one that pushed Jamaican roots into mod London modes – particularly the best sorts that were bubbling up in the post-punk generation! The group really helped revive some warmer sounds in British music – yet without just copying older modes from the other side of the Atlantic, too – and these three great albums definitely went onto set a fire in a host of other groups as well – the first wave of some surprisingly soulful moments from the UK in the 80s. The box set features the full albums I Just Can't Stop It, Wha'ppen, and Special Beat Service – all with bonus tracks not on the original albums. Then, the set also features more bonus material that includes 15 12" and dub versions of album tracks – and three Peel Session recordings from 1979, 1980, and 1982 – plus a live Boston recording from 1982! Comes in a great box, with a 24 page booklet of essays and rare photos! CD

The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of backstory hardly need matter, though – as the group wear their English loud and proud here, setting off a huge ska revival as they blend Jamaican roots with London attitude in the post-punk years – stacking up a set of classics that continue to groove many turntables all these many years later. Titles include "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", and "Jackpot". CD

The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of backstory hardly need matter, though – as the group wear their English loud and proud here, setting off a huge ska revival as they blend Jamaican roots with London attitude in the post-punk years – stacking up a set of classics that continue to groove many turntables all these many years later. Titles include "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", and "Jackpot". LP, Vinyl record album

The American debut of The English Beat – aka the UK group The Beat, who'd been making some big waves with import 45s on the 2Tone label, the burst forth on our US market with a slight shift in name, due to another group hogging their original moniker on our side of the Atlantic! That bit of backstory hardly need matter, though – as the group wear their English loud and proud here, setting off a huge ska revival as they blend Jamaican roots with London attitude in the post-punk years – stacking up a set of classics that continue to groove many turntables all these many years later. Titles include "Mirror In The Bathroom", "Hands Off She's Mine", "Twist & Crawl", "Big Shot", "Best Friend", and "Jackpot". LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... CD

A Chicago house classic, taking off on the riff from the Isaac Hayes tune that's been re-edited and mixed as doubles in clubs for ages and turning it into a new club anthem! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A Chicago house classic, taking off on the riff from the Isaac Hayes tune that's been re-edited and mixed as doubles in clubs for ages and turning it into a new club anthem! 12-inch, Vinyl record

90s pressing of this Chicago house classic, taking off on the riff from the Isaac Hayes tune that's been re-edited and mixed as doubles in clubs for ages and turning it into a new club anthem! 12-inch, Vinyl record

... CD