A nice smooth house track from Strictly Rhythm's salad days, with a nicely bouncing bassline – and one that was HUGE here in Chicago! There's this really moody keyboard line at the start – before the beats pump up and the vocals really get fantastic! 7-inch, Vinyl record
Two sweet cuts by one of the great Chicago funky 45 artists! "Ow Wow" is a great groover, with a cool funky intro – lots of wah wah guitar, and almost a Curtis Mayfield-like groove! "Women's Lib" has a hard soul feel – almost in a Memphis mode, with touches of ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Label appears to have been signed by the artist.)
Late 70s Hawaii funk tunes from Aura's rare self-titled album from the end of the 70s! "Let Me Say Dis About Dat" starts lean, with some of the tightest drums and sinister guitar funk riffs we can think of, before some just as time horns punctuate it just so. "No Beginning, No ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A warm mix of funk, reggae, and a bit of hip hop – served up in a tune that comes across with a crackling sort of freshness overall! Lyrics are a mix of sung chorus and spoken verses – and the groove has a rising/falling horn passage that really underscores the meaning of the tune! ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
There's a great old school vibe to "1 Thing" – beats that are maybe a bit more South Bronx than usual for Bacao, but via a "Funky Nassau" sort of energy too! The steel drums make some great sounds over the grooves – and "Hoola Hoop" continues a hip hop ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A wicked set of funky steel drums – a bad-stepping number from the Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, and just the kind of hard funk cut we're always digging for on steel drum records! We hardly ever find gems this good though – as "Pimp" has these slow-snapping drums that make ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
The Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band take on two classics from the old school – both with their trademark mix of steel drums and funk! "Scorpio" is the classic jam from Dennis Coffey – taken in a way here that's completely different, as the drums take on the guitar parts – ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Maybe some of the most explosive steel drum sounds you'll ever hope to hear – but that's what we've always expected from the mighty Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band! "Xxplosive" is funky, but in a nice slow-stepping way – with the bassline really carving out the groove, as ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A gem of a number from Dave Bailey's short-lived career as a leader – the title track to his hard to find Epic album, and a jaunty soul jazz number with a sweet and mellow groove! 7-inch, Vinyl record
(Vinyl has a mark that clicks towards the end of Part 1.)
Mindblowing early work from Chet Baker – quite possibly as clear a statement of the young trumpeter's genius as you might hope to find, served up here in a beautiful 7" EP package! The tracks are short, sweet, and very much to the point – but they already display a tremendous ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
This is Hank's first version of the track, not the one produced by James Brown. That doesn't stop it from being nice and soulful, though – with a great rolling R&B groove that made it one of his best early moments! Killer vocals on both sides, too! 7-inch, Vinyl record
Floorshaking sounds from Chicago's Bama Lama's with guest singer Gabrielle Sutton – paying tribute to the glorious dawn of the 60s guy/girl rocking rhythm & soul singles of Tarheel Slim & Little Ann with the songs – while paying homage to the groovy style pre-Ye Ye French rock ... (Rock, Funky 45's)read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Two killer slices of Brazilian funk! The instrumental "Miss Cheryl" is one of the trademark tunes of Banda Black Rio – a cut with these sharp, jazzy changes that are completely amazing – and which easily have BBR rivaling the sound of Earth Wind & Fire at their best! The ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A real stormer from JJ! "'Baby Please Come Back Home" is incredible – kind of Marvin Gaye late 60s Motown, but even better! The hook is great, and JJ's vocals are sublime! "Chains Of Love" is a harder rocking number – but also very nice. 7-inch, Vinyl record
A classic groover – one that we never tire of, even though it was a hit! "Tighten Up" is a mean, lean slice of Texas funk with killer guitar work – and it sounds even better on the beat-heavy stripped-down "part 2" than it does on the more familiar "part 1" ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Sweet soul from Jonny Benavidez – a singer who's got a voice that takes us back to the late 60s era of work by Ralfi Pagan and Joe Bataan – and who comes across here in an equally heartbreaking mode! Cold Diamond & Mink provide some nicely stepping grooves in the background, warmed ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Pete Bennett & The Embers —
Fever/Soft ... 7-inch Sunset, Early 60s. Very Good- ...
$4.99
Both of these cuts have been covered countless times over the years – but there's nothing like their original readings by Chuck Berry – raw, romping, and filled with that wicked mix of early rock and blues instrumentation that made Berry such an influence in the 50s! 7-inch, Vinyl record
(Great Third Man pressing – with a vintage-style Chess sleeve too!)
Tenorist Nat Birchall takes on the great Coltrane tune "Tunji" – a perfect fit for Nat, given how much spiritual jazz he's got in his music! The tune has a great modal groove – thanks to a quartet that includes John Ellis on piano, Michael Bardon on bass, and Andy Hay on ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Two Northern Soul gems back to back! Cody Black's "I'm Slowly Molding" is a nice little tune that starts out with some walloping drums augmented by handclaps, and Cody's deeply felt soul vocals backed nicely with groovy harmonies and horns – soaring and building as the tune goes on ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
"Flower Pot" is nice and dark – even more so than the dirt that might have filled it in – with this slow fuzzy guitar riff that takes up most of the groove – which moves stark and slow all the way through! "How Long Before I'm Gone" has a quicker clip – ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Funky drums and some mighty nice horns – a real killer from Black Market Brass, and maybe one of their most intense tracks to date! There's almost an Afro Funk vibe here, but the style is even more freewheeling – fast grooves and horns that are incredibly deft, but also have lots of ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
"Black Moon Rising" is a tune that seems to really live up to its title – with these slow funky drums that break on the intro – then roll into these bad-stepping keyboard lines that support the lead vocals and really let them flow! There's a similar sort of energy on "Fir ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A crossover classic from the lovely Deborah Harry – a tune that broke Blondie big on the airwaves, yet which also had a great life of its own in the clubs – no doubt due to its driving Giorgio Moroder-influenced disco beat! Yet the track's also got a lot more to live up to, too – ... (Rock, Funky 45's)read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(In a Chrysalis sleeve with titles written in pen.)
A fantastic track from this ultra-hip Chicago group – very spiritual in terms of the lyrics and soulful vocals, but also given a very cool crackle, thanks to some killer work on drums and percussion! Those elements get even more exposure on the flipside – which is a really great way to ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
There's some sweet 80s basswork on this one – that kind of dipping pedal groove that's peppered with plenty of keyboards – all making for this bright, crackling sound that gets plenty of deeper soul elements from Bobby Boyd's vocals! Lots of percussion kicks off "Girl I Like ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Two rare groovers from Bobby Boyd! "Love Goddess" has this great sort of building vibe at the start – a bit like the way the "Shaft" theme rolls in, but totally different too – especially when Bobby hits the great lyric in the lead! "Good News" is as ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A compelling cut from the late Charles Bradley – a track that's got a vibe that's maybe more rocksteady than some of the other work you may know from the deep soul singer – this great Jamaican vibe that seems to unlock a whole new side of his talents! "Strike Three" follows ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
"Right, Tight" is a nice little groover from Stax – a bit bluesy, with a down-home sound that features bass on the bottom, horns over the top, and some ensemble vocals that have a deeply soulful approach! "Slave For Love" has a rolling Memphis soul groove – more 60s ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A classic track that some folks claim was one of the first-ever rock and roll records – but which, to our ears, just sounds like some killer R&B! Jackie Brenston wasn't actually the lead act – he was just the singer for Ike Turner's group at the time – but the cut was ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(Great Third Man pressing – with a vintage-style Chess sleeve too!)
2 tracks lifted from the girls' Funk Or Walk LP – both served up in a tight funky mode, lots of bass underneath, and a grooving approach on both numbers. There's some cool spooky touches on "War Ship" at the beginning! 7-inch, Vinyl record
The bass moves fast, the guitar riffs faster, and the voals of Wesley Bright are really fantastic – crackling nicely as he soars over the top of "Happiness" – a tune with more sadness than you might expect, but in a really great way! "You Don't Want Me" slows things ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Both tracks are very nice, and the single is an excellent example of James at his strongest in the 60's. "If I Ruled The World" is a beautiful ballad soul cut, infused with the kind of subtle politics that James used before hitting his more radical days. "I Got The Feelin" has ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Nice stuff from James! "Public Enemy" is a wonderful track, with a long spoken monologue that shows a great side of James' progressive ideas. Nice message about heroin, and a good backing with a mellow feel. "I Got A Bag Of My Own" is pretty nice too – a fast funky cut ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
(A-side label is obscured with marker, and B-side has marker and a small sticker.)
Two long titles, both of them nice! "Tit For Tat" has a great back-forth kind of groove – not really funky, but pretty darn catchy, and with some raw soulful vocals from brother James! "Believers" is an instrumental with some very nice organ work – James on the ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
"Give Me Some Skin" is fast funk, but still pretty nice work from James – lifted from the Mutha's Nature album, and grooving in a mix of tight guitar, clavinet, and horns, not too dissimilar from the heavier early 70s funk years. "People Wake Up" is actually better – ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Maxine Brown takes on a tune by Otis Redding – which means that "Baby Cakes" has a harder, heavier groove than some of her other tunes – almost a Memphis sort of bite, with some burning organ vamping underneath the vocals! "One In A Million" is here in a rare ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A pair of aural psych funk severe weather events from the mighty Budos Band! "Maelstrom" kicks off with swirling bit of organ, presaging the funky onslaught to come – with soulful horn blasts and and impeccably rhythmic sensibility that keeps it from flying out of control. "Aval ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
One of those funky 45s you can tell will be great – just by looking at the surface of the grooves! The tune starts out all compressed and trebly at the start – with fuzzy guitar over a spare rhythm, which then gets full and funky once the cut gets going – but then takes this ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
We don't know Joe Burrell at all – but he really sounds great here on "There Was A Time" – not the tune that James Brown made big, but instead a very different number – served up with a jazzy flourish, thanks to the orchestrations of Kae Williams! Pookie Hudson is a ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Two great cuts from the Pride Records label – both hip and funky! "Whatever's Fair" is one of the best-remembered numbers from the Infinity recordings with Billy Butler – work that's got all the soaring soul of his 60s Chicago work, but a more righteous vibe too! "Simple ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
A really cool cut from the soundtrack to Melinda – a "Latino" theme, but one that's got this beautiful funky sitar over stepping beats and piano – almost like a hip hop sample that was waiting 20 years to be discovered, and a very cool instrumental groove! Jimmy Smith ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Bobby's classic! This groover moves at triple-time, with a chorus that's shouted so fast you won't believe it – and with stunning backing by James Brown's band in the background! A real winner, and sounds great on 45! 7-inch, Vinyl record
A fresh take on one of the Rickey Calloway classics from years back – snapping drums and full-on funk – a completely heavy-hitting number that rivals the best James Brown work of the early 70s! The track's a smoking cooker that never lets up – from the first rattletrap on the ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
The cover looks like a vintage 45 – but all the work here is previously unreleased, even though it was recorded back in that magical year of 1966! The Carolines are a wonderful girl group with a Brill Building sort of bigness in their sound – almost wall of sound production from Larry ... (Rock, Funky 45's)read more7-inch, Vinyl record
James Carr may not have cut the famous version of "These Arms Of Mine" – but he does a superb job here on the classic – really hitting the tune with his best deep soul energy, and maybe even a bit more sadness than on the Otis Redding hit! "Let's Face Facts" is ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Sweet girl pop from Bernadette Carroll! "Laughing On The Outside" is the kind of weepy gem that might have been recorded by Joanie Sommers – but handled here with a nicely indie vibe that has spare strings moving nicely next to Bernadette's blue-tinged vocals, and a nice spoken bit ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
Alvin Cash pays tribute to Cassius Clay – screaming his way through the cut in a way that pre-dates most other Ali tribute songs, grooving away in that hard funky groove that you'd find on his best 60s work. "Feel So Good" is great, too – a heavy R&B stomper with a "T ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record
One of Alvin's funkiest tracks ever, and a killer groove put together at the end of the 60's with the funky Scott Brothers Orchestra backing him up. The track's got a razor-sharp guitar that chops through the whole thing with amazing precision – and the instrumental side has some nice funky ... read more7-inch, Vinyl record