A wonderful early record by Leon Haywood – very different than any of his later work! The album showcases both sides of Haywood's talent – as side one features Leon singing in a sweet soulful style, and side two's all-instrumental, with Leon atop the Hammond B-3, grooving away with a sound that's better than you'd expect! The instrumental side includes a funky version of "Ode to Billy Joe", a tasty groover called "Cornbread & Buttermilk", and recording of "Round Midnight" that has the organ whomping so deep it'll blow your speakers! The vocal side is just as nice – with Leon's mini-hit single "It's Got To Be Mellow", plus the tracks "I Can't Stop Loving You", "Mercy Mercy Mercy", and "Yesterday". LP, Vinyl record album

Leon Haywood's best album from the 70s! After working as a keyboardist and sometimes vocalist for a number of years – making some strong and some tentative entries into the soul genre – Leon really exploded with this album, an electric funk classic that gave the world his fantastic "I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You" (a track that had new life years later when Dr Dre sampled it to great fame.) The rest of the record holds up nicely, too – and is a mix of smooth soul and wicked funk, with tracks that include "Consider the Source", "Who You Been Giving It Up To", and "This Feeling's Rated Extra". Classic! LP, Vinyl record album

A monster! "I Wanna Do Something Freaky To You" has had big fame in recent years, but the cut's always been one of Leon Haywood's greatest – a slow, sly, slinky funky number that really never gets old! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Excellent early work by Leon Haywood – recorded way back in the mid 60s, when he was knocking around the LA indie scene with a very soulful groove! Back in those years, Leon wasn't singing as much, just playing piano and organ in a mixture of soul and jazz instrumental modes – all hard-stepping with a very strong northern soul groove, and some of the heaviest production ever to come out of the west coast in the 60s! The whole album's a killer – extremely grooving, and with a blend of styles that keeps things fresh all the way through. Titles include "Ray's Theme", "Soul Cargo", "Fat Fish", "The Sidewinder", "Spice Of The Blues", "River's Invitation", and "The Preacher". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by The Showmen, The O'Kaysions, Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, The Tams, Leon Haywood, The Drifters, Willie Tee, The Astors, Brenton Wood, The Globetrotters, The Swingin' Medallions, The Dominoes, Darrell Banks, Arthur Alexander, Jackie Moore, Deon Jackson, Jackie Wilson, JJ Jackson, Bruce Channel, The Embers, Archie Bell & The Drells, and The Platters. LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in this wonderful series – a set that's full of rare 7" singles from the late 60s and early 70s, but with a vibe that's very different than other collections of this nature! As with previous volumes, the sound is warm and uplifting – not heavy funk or deep soul, but tunes that soar and glide on soulful energy – showcasing a few early modern soul elements that were years ahead of their time, and often using just the right sort of production and arrangements to really expand the sound of a singer or harmony vocal group! The whole thing's wonderful – fantastic rare soul listening all the way through – and titles include "Standing In The Way" by Charles Williams, "Reason To Survive" by Rance Allen Group, "Consider The Source" by Leon Haywood, "Oh Mama" by CM Lord, "Thank You Girl For Loving Me" by Enchantment, "The Game Is Over" by Brown Sugar, "Get Involved" by George Soule, "Too Late"b y Tavares, and "My Heart Is Closed For The Season" by Bettye Swann. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album of smooth soul from Carl Carlton – a richly talented singer who began his career as a kid in the 60s, but who's working here in a sophisticated adult mode with production by Leon Haywood. The album kind of takes Haywood's best styles of the mid 70s and updates them to match Carlton's great voice. Haywood wrote all the best material on the album, and it's actually surprising that he didn't save some of the cuts for himself – especially when you consider that the record features the classic groover "She's A Bad Mama Jama", which was a pivotal dancefloor track in the post-disco years, plus the excellent stepper "This Feeling's Rated X-Tra". Other tracks include "I Think It's Gonna Be Alright", "Sexy Lady", "Don't You Wanna Make Love", and "Fighting In The Name Of Love". Great vocals, great production, and a perfect blend of all the right elements make the album a modern soul treat! LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album of bluesy funk – one that features the guitar of Johnny Otis' young son Shuggie, in a slightly tighter setting than he'd been getting on some of Johnny's own LPs! Shuggie here is still very much under the guidance of his dad – working in a mode that really emphasizes the fuzzier side of his guitar, in a style that was clearly an attempt to hook Shuggie up with the Hendrix audience. Not that that's a problem, though – as the record also features some stone funky playing too, as well as organ work by Leon Haywood, sax by Preston Love, and some other great studio work by members of The Crusaders! Tracks include "Hurricane", "Shuggie's Boogie", "Bootie Cooler", "Funky Thithee" and "The Hawks". LP, Vinyl record album

Santa Claus gets plenty of lovin here – in a sweet set of tracks that spans the worlds of soul, gospel, and blues – bringing together some key classics from the season, plus some more unusual material too! There's a total of 26 tracks on the set – and titles include "The Sound Of Christmas" by The Violinaires, "Christmas In Viet Nam" by Johnny & Jon, "Santa's On His Way" by Ad Libs, "It's That Time Of Year" by The Manhattans, "Doing The Santa Claus" by Huey Smith & The Clowns, "You Better Be Good World" by Shirley Ellis, "White Xmas" by Los Angeles Angels, "Merry Christmas Baby" by Vernon Garrett, "Silent Night" by Liz Lands, "Marshmallow World" by Darlene Love, "I'll Stay Home" by The Creators, "White Christmas" by Rance Allen, "Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday" by Leon Haywood, "Merry Christmas Baby" by Ike & Tina Turner, and "It's Been A Long Bad Year" by Lonnie Hewitt. CD

An overlooked late 70s moment from the great Garland Green – a set that's quite different than his earlier Chicago soul – thanks to production from Leon Haywood in a sweet west coast mode! The record's got an easygoing vibe that really fits the cover – a mix of mellow and midtempo tracks that Garland does especially well – plus a few groovers too. That deep, rich tone that Green brought to his music is perfect for the warmer touches that Leon creates in the backings – and the whole thing's almost got that mix of deep and modern soul than was brewing out of some of the hipper corners of the south at the time. Arrangements are by Haywood with Gene Page and Tony Coleman – and titles include "I've Quit Running the Streets", "Moody Woman", "Love Is What We Came Here For", "I Found Myself When I Lost You", "Lovin You Baby", "Let Me Be Your Pacifier", and "Let's Celebrate". CD features 3 bonus tracks – "Don't Let Love Walk Out On Us", "Ask Me For What You Want", and "Shake Your Shaker (single version)". CD