Heavy heavy funk from the mighty Yvonne Fair – a 70s bad soul sister that we'd rank right up there with Betty Davis! Yvonne got her start working with James Brown in a sweeter mode, but by the time of this mid 70s debut, she'd hit a really hard-wailing sort of style – one that had the righteous vocal lead of singers like Davis, Maxayn, or a rare few others – and which gets support here from some really full, rich production from Norman Whitfield! Whitfield brings in bits of strings alongside the heavier bass, drums, and keyboards – and makes for a unique mix that almost goes a bit southern soul, while still staying in the hipper styles of 70s Motown – letting Yvonne get a bit personal on a few tear-jerking numbers, and come wailing back with full force on the funkier ones. Titles include the classics "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On" and "It Should Have Been Me" – plus "Let Your Hair Down", "Love Ain't No Toy", "Tell Me Something Good", "It's Bad For Me To See You", "Stay A Little Longer", and "Walk Out The Door If You Wanna". CD

Heavy heavy funk from the mighty Yvonne Fair – a 70s bad soul sister that we'd rank right up there with Betty Davis! Yvonne got her start working with James Brown in a sweeter mode, but by the time of this mid 70s debut, she'd hit a really hard-wailing sort of style – one that had the righteous vocal lead of singers like Davis, Maxayn, or a rare few others – and which gets support here from some really full, rich production from Norman Whitfield! Whitfield brings in bits of strings alongside the heavier bass, drums, and keyboards – and makes for a unique mix that almost goes a bit southern soul, while still staying in the hipper styles of 70s Motown – letting Yvonne get a bit personal on a few tear-jerking numbers, and come wailing back with full force on the funkier ones. Titles include the classics "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On" and "It Should Have Been Me" – plus "Let Your Hair Down", "Love Ain't No Toy", "Tell Me Something Good", "It's Bad For Me To See You", "Stay A Little Longer", and "Walk Out The Door If You Wanna". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning selection of female soul from Motown – all of it rare, and much of it previously unreleased! The set is a great reminder not only of how much we still have to learn about the biggest soul label in the motor city – but also of the exceptional quality that Motown brought to their recordings – so much so that even long-unissued tracks like these can easily stand with the biggest hits from other 60s soul labels! The package is wonderful if you dig female soul – and maybe even if you just like vintage soul in general – and in addition to rare cuts by big Motown names, you'll also hear some lesser-knowns that show the way the company was always trying to reach out for new talent in the fertile world of Detroit music. As usual, Ace has provided very detailed notes that offer as much history as information on the music – and the CD features 24 titles that include "It's Been A Long Time Happenin" by Rita Wright, "There Are Things" by Ann Bogan, "It's Crazy Baby" by Liz Lands, "Baby I've Got It" by Brenda Holloway, "Honey Don't Leave Me" by The Lewis Sisters, "It's All Right" by LaBrenda Ben, "When Someone's Good To You" by Oma Page, "In My Heart I Know It's Right" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Sweet Talkin Guy" by The Marvelettes, "Cookie Boy" by Thelma Brown, "I Up & Think Of You" by Kim Weston, "There Was" by The Lollipops, "Keep Away" by Little Lisa, "Playboy (first version)" by The Marvelettes, "I Know You Don't Love Me No More (orig mix)" by Yvonne Fair, "In Your Heart" by Patrice Holloway, "You've Got Possibilities" by Barbara McNair, and "Bad News" by LaBrenda Ben. CD

Way more than just a "cellarful" of Motown – a wealth of great tracks, all of which are previously unreleased! This incredible 2CD set is a landmark in the history of both Motown and Northern Soul – as it brings together 40 tracks that were recorded in the glory days of the Detroit scene, but never issued at the time. A number of cuts on the set have risen to fame over the years as bootlegs floating around the UK club scene, and they're issued properly here for the first time ever, along side other lost gems that will soon become new classics to a generation of soul fans – all wrapped up in one great package filled with notes on the music, and listing the origins of the tunes! Titles include "My Sugar Baby" by Frank Wilson, "Baby A Go Go" by Barbara McNair, "How Can I" by Brenda Holloway, "He Was Really Sayin Somethin" by Earl Van Dyke, "Until You Came Along" by Carolyn Crawford, "Before It's Over" by Sammy Ward, "Long Gone Lover" by Velvelettes, "If You Ever Get Your Hands On Me" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "Lucky Lucky Me" by Jimmy Ruffin, "I Wish I Liked You" by Marvin Gaye, "You Made Me Feel Like" by Syreeta, "Don't Let Me Down" by Kim Weston, "Don't Put Off Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today" by The Monitors, and "It Must Be Love Baby" by Chuck Jackson & Yvonne Fair. Lots lots more, and filled with wonderful tunes! CD

Motown leaps boldly into the 70s – building strongly off the changing grooves during the label's late 60s years, and serving up an amazing array of differently-styled singles! There's a really great blend here of some of the more familiar 60s modes and the hipper grooves to come in the new decade – a sound that's definitely maturing Motown, but still with most of the label's big talent in place, alongside some key younger acts and a few great surprises from left field! As with other volumes in this amazing series, there's a hell of a lot of music here – not just hits, but every single from the year, presented with both a and b-sides – so that you really get an idea of what the label was up to at the time. The whole thing's packaged in a hardcover book-style package, with a bonus 45 in the front cover – and it includes over 150 tracks by artists who include Hearts Of Stone, Hugh Masekela, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Allan Nichols, The Originals, Rare Earth, The Jazz Crusaders, Diana Ross, Arthur Adams, Jimmy Ruffin, Yvonne Fair, Gladys Knight, Bob & Marcia, Buzzie, Blinky, The Jackson 5, Danny Hernandez, Ivy Jo, The Fantastic Four, R Dean Taylor, Chuck Jackson, and lots more! CD

Here's a set that takes the "More" in its title very seriously – as the package is overflowing with way more rare work than we might have expected – six tracks from the Motown vaults that appear here for the first time ever, and many other that were unreleased at the time – showing just how much the Detroit soul powerhouse was able to capture some of the best female singers coming through its studios! If you're worried about these tracks being clunkers, put aside those fears – as even the lesser cuts at Motown are usually better than some of the hits at other labels – given the production strengths and studio talents, who do a great job here of making both the big names and the lesser-knowns sound wonderful. As always with Ace, there's a huge amount of detailed notes that really make the package great – alongside 25 tracks that include "Good Good Feeling" by Brenda Holloway, "Hold Me Oh My Darling" by Ann Bogan, "I Don't Want Your Promises" by LaBrenda Ben, "Don't Be Too Long" by Anita Knorl, "A Love So Deep Inside" by the Velvelettes, "Can't Figure It Out" by The Lewis Sisters, "I'm So Helpless" by Debbie Dean, "Nothing But A Fool" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, "My Daddy Knows Best" by Little Lisa, "Suck Up" by Oma Heard, "This Love I've Got" by Martha & The Vandellas, "Never Trust A Man" by Chris Clark, "When I Was In School" by Hattie Littles, and "All I Could Do Was Cry" by Yvonne Fair. CD

Stunning soul from the Motown label – a huge amount of tracks that were recorded by the company during their key years in soul music, but which are issued here for the first time ever! The depths of Motown never fail to amaze us – because even though these tracks might have lain in the vaults, they're still better than most of the competition – and not only match some of the bigger cuts by the artists involved, but also shed new light upon the careers of some of the lesser-known female singers in the Motown stable! These aren't throwaway numbers – and instead, the collection's brimming over with wicked Detroit soul groovers from the 60s – 25 tracks in all, supported by some nicely thorough notes on the project and recordings. Titles include "Mr Pride & Mr Gloom" by Connie Haines, "Just Go On Sleeping" by LaBrenda Ben, "Reassure Me That You Love Me" by Brenda Holloway, "Midnight Johnny (early version)" by Liz Lands, "I Can't Make It Without You" by Debbie Dean, "Close My Crying Eyes" by Yvonne Fair, "Forgotten" by Chris Clark, "Lover Man" by Kim Weston, "Check Yourself" by Chris Clark, "The Good Times Are Gone" by Barbara McNair, "Momma Tried To Warn Me" by Oma Heard, "Now That Love Is Gone" by Hattie Littles, "My Love Is Your Love" by Barbara Randolph, "The Things Time Can't Erase" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, and "Mother Tell Me What To Do" by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas. CD

Fourth volume in this series of collections of Motown material pulled together in the mid 70s featuring some their finest tracks with a heavy dancefloor vibe. Includes some nice 70s numbers like "Slick" by Willie Hutch, "Love Machine" by The Miracles, "Boogie Down" by Eddie Kendricks, "Walk Away From Love" by David Ruffin, "Machine Gune" by Commodores, "Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On" by Yvonne Fair, and "Don't Bring Back Memories" by The Four Tops. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic sounds from one of our all-time favorite producers in soul music – the legendary Norman Whitfield, the man who helped some of Motown's artists pick up a new sort of righteous sound at the end of the 60s, before moving on to start his own Whitfield label in the 70s! If you don't know Norman, you definitely know his work – as he's the cat responsible for adding heavy basslines and fuzzy guitars to Detroit soul – picking up on some of the wider musical changes in the Motor City, and using them to push more message-oriented tracks into the scene! Yet Norman wasn't just a 60s powerhouse – as when the 70s approached, he found a way to expand and refine that sound, keeping it fresh in so many different ways – as you'll hear here in this really well-done collection of his best recordings, supported by very detailed notes as well. Tracks include "I Saw You When You Met Her" by The Undisputed Truth, "Ooh Boy" by Rose Royce, "And All Hell Broke Loose" by Willie Hutch, "I've Been Waitin (single version)" by Spyder Turner, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye, "Come With Me (single version)" by Rare Earth, "Just One Love" by Stargard, "Wishing On A Star" by Jr Walker, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" by Rose Roce, "Love Is What You Make It" by Masterpiece, "Good Lovin" by Mammatapee, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone (single version)" by The Temptations, "War" by Edwin Starr, "It Should Have Been Me" by Yvonne Fair, "Me & Rock & Roll Are Here To Stay" by David Ruffin, and "Psychedelic Shack (single version with intro)" by The Temptations. CD

A pair of wonderful albums from the young Lalah Hathaway – plus bonus tracks too! First up is the self-titled Lalah Hathaway – the first album from Donny Hathaway's soulful daughter – an album that began a legacy that's lasted plenty strongly on its own – even without such a great family pedigree! Lalah's got a nearly-classic style in her work that's a fresh departure from many other soul acts of this period – a style that's almost influenced by the Soul II Soul or Loose Ends groove of the time, but is a bit more mainstream – and which shows that Hathaway has a lot more to offer than a famous last name. Production and arrangements are by Gary Taylor, Angela Winbush, Craig T Cooper, and Andre Fischer – and titles include "Baby Don't Cry", "Heaven Knows", "Somethin", "Stay Home Tonight", "I'm Coming Back", "I Gotta Move On", and "Obvious". Next is A Moment – an overlooked second set from the lovely Lalah Hathaway – a record that got less circulation than her classic debut, but which still very much continues the groove! As before, Lalah's working with a number of different producers throughout – changing things up a bit, but still holding strong with a quality level that's better than most of her contemporaries – thanks to vocals that are there first, and hardly need any studio help at all – and which really unify the proceedings throughout. Titles include a great remake of "Family Affair" with excellent help from BEF – plus "Bad By Myself", "Lean On Me", "Separate Ways", "Better As A Memory", "Do You Suppose", "Rise", and "Let Me Love You". 2CD set features 12 bonus tracks – including "It's Somethin (radio mix)", "Heaven Knows (7" version)", "Baby Don't Cry (radio)", "Heaven Knows (Yvonne Turner rmx)", "It's Somethin (12" mix)", "Baby Don't Cry (crybaby club version)", "It's Somethin (smoove & sassy rmx)", "Night & Day", "Let Me Love You (bed time mix)", "Dreams Don't Lie (club)", "Separate Ways (stringapella)", and "Night & Day (acappella)". CD